A CLECKHEATON woman who was told she would never run again after a devastating car accident in 1995 has been applying for the London marathon every year and has been awarded a place in the 2023 ballot.
Penelope North, 61, was an avid marathon runner in the late 1980s and early 90s and had competed in some of the biggest marathons - including those in New York, Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles - until she was in a car accident that changed everything.
She suffered severe leg injuries in the accident, her right leg was very nearly crushed and she was forced to wear a fixator on her leg.
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She said: “I was in a wheelchair for a whole year, and the doctors said I wasn’t ever going to be able to run a marathon again.
“When I heard that, I thought people walk marathons, people without legs complete marathons, so I thought I’m going to apply for the London Marathon.
“I applied every year since 1997 and every year I didn’t make it.”
Penelope is part of a running group GoBeRunners and each year members of her running group were awarded a place in the race and every year Penelope was rejected.
“It became kind of a joke amongst us, every year I’d apply and every year I wouldn’t get it.
“But this year, I opened the email and it was flashing saying ‘you’re in’ and I was so dumbfounded.
“I can’t believe - I’m finally running the London Marathon.”
After her accident, Penelope didn’t run for a long time. But when a local Park Run started close by, she got involved.
Her first run saw her hobbling and limping to the finish line, but she’d done it - her first run back since the accident.
That one run pushed Penelope to keep going - she immediately thought 'if I can do three miles, then I can do 10k.'
She said: “Park Runs brought back my love for running.
“I loved the feeling, and I loved being out there with other runners.”
Penelope has had five rounds of surgery on her legs, and her right ankle still doesn’t move, making it difficult to lift off. She described herself as ‘running with a limp’ due to her legs not fully recovering from the accident.
In 2016, after being rejected by the London Marathon nearly 20 times, she applied for a marathon in Jamaica, which she completed in five and a half hours.
There were times where she wanted to stop; especially at mile 18 but she walked and got herself to the finish line.
She said: “I wanted to quit, but I knew I wouldn’t, I just started walking and kept going till the end.
“Before the accident, I could run a marathon in three and a half hours - my first one took me that long, but I kept getting faster.
“Now I’m to complete London in five hours.”
When asked if she finds the distance long, Penelope laughed.
“I might not have speed, but I’ve got stamina, I can keep going for ages.
“Marathons are my thing. I really enjoy them and after my first I wanted to do more.
“My 5k time and my 10k time don’t seem to get any faster but I can keep going, plodding along.”
Penelope’s journey to get back to running longer distances has been fuelled by her enjoyment of the sport and her determination to get the London Marathon under her belt.
“I just love the noise, the atmosphere, the feeling. There’s just so much spirit. I love it.”
Penelope will be 62 when she runs the London Marathon in 2023, 25 years since she began applying.
She said: “I would have kept applying till the day I died.
“I wanted to do the major marathon of my own country.
“When I lived in LA, I did the LA Marathon seven times before the accident.”
Penelope is excited to get back to starting lines, especially as she’s already got a spot on Rob Burrow’s Marathon, just three weeks after the London Marathon.
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