Man recovering from brain injury to run marathon

Paul Bradford says he is "so grateful" for the North West Air Ambulance's help

A triathlete who nearly died in a cycling crash says he is running the London Marathon to raise money for the charity he "owes his life" to.

Paul Bradford, of Wirral, suffered a brain injury when he fractured his skull in April 2022 and was only given a 10% chance of survival.

The 46-year-old will take part in the the 26.2-mile (42km) race for the North West Air Ambulance service on Sunday.

"Thanks to the crew my wife still has a husband and my children still have a father," he said.

Mr Bradford was four weeks away from competing in the Ironman World Championship in the United States when he crashed while cycling home after a four-hour ride in North Wales.

In addition to the fractured skull, he suffered a severe jaw injury and broke some of his ribs.

Luckily, he was with an anaesthetist, Tom Kennedy, when he crashed into a stationary vehicle.

Mr Kennedy provided life-saving care before paramedics arrived and looked after him until the air ambulance arrived.

Mr Bradford was airlifted to Aintree University Hospital before being admitted to the nearby Walton Centre, which specialises in neurology.

Paul Bradford spent 10 days in intensive care and nine weeks in hospital after the crash

The marketing manager was off work for six months after the crash.

During his rehabilitation, Mr Bradford wrote a book The Sub 3-Hour Marathon Playbook.

He is now looking forward to running the London Marathon as a "thank you" to the air ambulance service, which is entirely funded by charitable donations.

"I'm so grateful," Mr Bradford said.

"I literally owe them everything. I'll be thinking about the crew here... raising awareness and funds for them... that will push me through the wall that people talk about [in the marathon]."