Man finishes half marathon four years after collapse

Andy Southey with his wife Ruth after the race

A man who suffered concussion after he collapsed during a half marathon has taken part in the race again four years on - and crossed the finish line.

Andy Southey was running the last three miles of the Robin Hood Half Marathon in 2019 when he "blacked out".

He suffered concussion and was left unable to walk, wash himself or even finish sentences.

Mr Southey said crossing the finish line on Sunday had helped him to "write a new chapter" in his life.

"It was a moment of deep joy. There's a new end to this story and it doesn't end in pain," he said.

The 31-year-old, from Bestwood Village in Nottinghamshire, woke up in an ambulance after collapsing around the 10-mile mark of the race four years ago.

Andy Southey, right, was supported by his brother Dave Southey, left, and friend Matt Thompson

He was later diagnosed with post concussion syndrome, believed to have been caused by whiplash from his fall.

Mr Southey did not return to his work in the pastoral department at Heart Church in Nottingham for three months.

He suffered with continuous headaches, fatigue and at times could not remember his age.

"That was such a dark, lonely moment for me," he said.

"I was not in a good way."

But Mr Southey's mental and physical capacity slowly returned over the years that followed.

'Traumatic'

He considered running again but found the idea "triggering" and feared "something bad would happen again".

He said: "I remember that first run [after the accident] like it was yesterday. It felt like I was being chased the entire way.

"I remember getting home and just breaking down in tears in the living room.

"I was somebody who loved running. I found it therapeutic. And then I went from finding it therapeutic to traumatic."

Mr Southey said he managed to restore some of his confidence by training his wife to run.

He now has a loop recorder fitted, a device that monitors his heart rate, as well as a smart watch that can alert his family and emergency services if he collapses in future.

Mr Southey completed this year's race with his brother and friend, raising money for brain injury charity Headway in the process.

"We crossed that finish line that I couldn't four years before," he said.

"A thing that carried so much pain for me felt like, in that moment, we'd broken something. I just got hit by every emotion."