Grantham teacher Chris Moore completes Brighton Marathon for road safety charity Brake just months after A1 crash

A man who survived a near-fatal car crash completed the Brighton Marathon in support of a road safety charity.

Chris Moore, a member of Grantham Running Club, raised more than £1,160 for Brake after finishing the 26.2-mile race earlier this month – just five months after crashing on the A1 while travelling to the Rutland Water parkrun.

On November 23, Chris lost control of his car in wet conditions and collided with a road sign and a tree.

He blacked out and awoke to find his vehicle crushed.

“I’d driven that road for years because I used to work in Peterborough, but it was a particularly bad day,” he said.

“It was very wet, rainy, windy, icy... and just southbound, just past where you turn off for the barrier on the other side of the road, I suddenly lost control.

“The next minute I woke up, I came to and could smell electrical burning. I was panicking because my dog was in the boot of the car. I looked over and the passenger side was completely contorted and crushed.”

Miraculously, he escaped the wreck with cuts, bruises and muscle injuries, managing to rescue his dog, Lucky, from the boot with help from a lorry driver who had stopped nearby.

He spent only a few hours in hospital but required physiotherapy in the following months due to lingering muscle issues and a knee injury.

He said the crash left him “very shaken up” and “thankful to be alive”.

The crash put his marathon training on hold, reducing his mileage to just 50 miles in January.

Not only was he involved in that accident, but just months later, in August, he also witnessed the “horrendous” aftermath of the collision which killed 40-year-old mother Lijuan Wu on Barrowby Road.

“I wasn’t even planning to run for charity originally,” said Chris.

“But it was a really nasty shock to witness something like that – quite upsetting – and on top of a near-death experience in November, one of the worst experiences of my life, I thought there needed to be a worthy cause to donate to.”

He chose to support Brake, a national charity that campaigns for safer roads and supports victims and families affected by road crashes.

Despite disrupted training, Chris ran the Oundle 20 in March and felt confident enough to line up in Brighton.

Race day brought hot weather, coastal hills and huge crowds – conditions that proved both challenging and inspiring.

Organisers said the support was incredible and reminiscent of the Great North Run.

Chris reportedly felt strong for the first 16 miles, but then hit the wall early, resulting in “10 miles of hell”.

However, with the support of the crowd and his personal motivations, Chris completed the course in 4:34:31 – above his original target, but a result he called “a huge personal victory” considering the heat and his injury history.

“It was an amazing experience, and it just felt really nice to give something back. I wasn’t expecting to raise quite as much as I did in the end,” he said.

His total distance ended up being 26.4 miles due to slight detours along the route.

His effort has so far raised more than £1,160 for Brake, not including Gift Aid, and donations continue to come in.

Chris now plans to run future marathons to improve his time and continue supporting causes he believes in.

His next event will be the York Marathon in October, where he hopes to finish in under four hours.

The Isaac Newton Primary School teacher also plans to give road safety presentations at his school to help boost awareness.

He believes more still needs to be done to improve safety on the A1.

“You don’t realise how your life can be snuffed out in an instant until you’ve had an experience like that,” he said.

“Especially given the context of Grantham – you see it in all the local media – it feels like there’s an accident almost every day on the A1, or at least every week, and something needs to be done about that stretch of road because it’s getting too common now.”

To donate to Chris’ campaign, visit: www.justgiving.com/page/brightonmarathonchrismoore

Also representing Grantham Running Club in Brighton were Nick Marshall, Catherine Pell and Martyn Wand.

Catherine and Martyn both made their marathon debuts, finishing in 4:31:02 and 5:54:21 respectively. Nick completed his second marathon in 6:07:01.