Widow running London Marathon after snapping neck

Liza Putwain broke her neck six months after losing her husband Ian

A woman who broke her neck on an obstacle while raising money in memory of her husband is taking on her first London Marathon.

Liza Putwain, 44, who lives near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, lost her husband Ian unexpectedly from an illness in 2023.

Just 50 minutes into the obstacle course she was running six months after his death, she heard her neck "snap" when she was flipped from an inflatable seesaw.

Her life was saved at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge and staff encouraged her to defer her place in the 2024 London Marathon to this year, when she will take on 26.2 miles (42.195km) on Sunday.

Mrs Putwain had to rely on NHS staff to do everything for her after breaking her neck

"I snapped my neck, I heard it go as I was tackling an obstacle on a race I've done many, many times," Mrs Putwain, who has been a keen runner for the past 10 years, said.

"My spine was put out of line and I damaged my vertebrae and spinal cord.

"It was pretty touch and go there for a while, but I was very fortunate to have been taken to first of all Ipswich Hospital and then to Addenbrooke's where they saved my life and put me back together."

Mr and Mrs Putwain, who have three children together, embarked on runs and obstacle courses together before he died

Mrs Putwain was unable to move after the accident, but slowly she regained feeling.

"You always wonder what you'll be like in those situations," she said.

"My husband had died a few months previous and all I wanted was him there with me, but I was on my own and it was down to me."

Mrs Putwain underwent an operation to realign her spine as well as have metal inserted into her neck.

Mrs Putwain said she had not had any neck pain training for the marathon but did experience some numb feelings in her body due to nerve damage

While recovering in hospital she knew she would be unable to compete in the 2024 London Marathon, which she had secured a place in through the ballot.

But doctors and nurses believed she would be strong enough to take it on the following year.

Initially she said she was "just grateful" to be alive, but the more she thought on it the more she believed the NHS staff.

Mrs Puwain has previously run the Edinburgh Marathon in three hours and 55 minutes

"I am proud of myself for being able to keep going," she continued.

"I've been running for the last 10 years and I've done a couple of marathons before.

"I think what that had given me in terms of mental strength and being able to keep going really helped me as well as giving me the physical strength to recover quite quickly."

Mrs Putwain is fundraising for Addenbrooke's Charitable Trust to thank the staff who saved her life.

"Another place and another time I don't think I'd have been so fortunate in my recovery," she added.