Marathon man goes extra miles to help friend paralysed in head-on car crash

Nick Lawson decided he wanted to do something to help when his friend was left quadriplegic. Catherine Scott met the man who is running four marathons in three weeks.

For the last six months Nick Lawson has been a familiar figure pounding the streets in preparation for his gruelling four marathon challenge.

Nick, manager of the Hotel du Vin in Harrogate, is running four marathons in three weeks to raise money for his friend Shannon Davis.

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Shannon, 30, was paralysed in a head-on car accident three years ago, which she was lucky to survive.

Her only chance of walking again is to travel to India from her home in America to under go controversial stem cell treatment.

"I met Shannon through a friend of a friend when I was living in America a few years ago," explains Nick who is accompanied by friend Andrew Brown. "She was a very bubbly fun person who loved playing soft ball. Then the accident happened and she was left quadriplegic. But she isn't the type of person to lie at home feeling sorry for herself. She did lots of research and discovered this treatment in India."

The treatment costs $50,000 and Nick is hoping to raise $15,000 (about 9,500) to help fund the treatment and he came up with the idea of running four marathons in one month. "I realised that it was going to be a challenge raising money for Shannon so I had to do something more than run just one marathon which is what I had originally intended to do," explains Nick.

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"I thought at first I would do something in America but looking at the costs and logistics I decided that I would be better doing something in the UK and Europe."

Having looked at the marathon calendar, he decided to kick off with the London marathon and then move to Belfast, Prague and Edinburgh. But an injury during training meant he had to take the difficult decision to pull out of the London event.

"I tore something, I think at the gym, and I was advised that if I was to complete the challenge then I would have to pull out of the London marathon. It was a difficult decision but in the end this is for Shannon and so I needed to think about all four marathons, not just one."

As he has missed London, Nick decided to add Luxembourg into his challenge. It has been a tough few months training which have seen him run a total of 400 miles since the beginning of the year, including back-to-back long-distance runs over the last two months.

"It is the recovery time which is crucial," says Nick.

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"I have run a couple of marathons before so know that I can do that, but you have to give your body time to recover."

He has been getting help at the Nuffield Gym in Harrogate where he has a personal trainer, but in his line of business, relaxing with your feet up is out of the question.

Nick ran his first marathon in Belfast on Monday last week and was due to fly back on the Tuesday, but the Icelandic ash cloud meant he had to catch a ferry to Scotland and then a taxi back to Harrogate for work on the Wednesday.

When I caught up with Nick, he was back at the Hotel du Vin for two days before flying to Prague for his next 26-mile run. This week, he was again at work but will be flying to Luxembourg on Friday for a Saturday marathon. Returning to Harrogate for a week, he will travel to Edinburgh for the final marathon on May 22.

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"It will be a real challenge," says super-fit Nick who is also having to watch what he eats, "but all I have to do is remember why I am doing it."

For more information about Shannon and her treatment, visit www.shannondavisjourney.com. To sponsor Nick, www.active.com/donate/

Marathons4Shannon

Overwhelmed by support

Nick, a trustee of Yorkshire Young Achievers, says he has been overwhelmed by the support from local business, particularly for someone so far away.

"It is a challenge explaining to people about the treatment and how it could help Shannon. But she has researched this properly and spoken to people who have been helped. She has already spent three months in India undergoing the first part of the treatment and she says she has started to feel hot and cold.

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"The doctors are cautious, but they say she will be fit to travel for the second stage of the treatment in September. She knows that she isn't just going to jump up out of her wheelchair and that it will be a very long road for her. But she believes it is worth trying and as her friend I want to do all I can to help her."