Sunderland Harriers member who was run over by a motorbike on the eve of the London Marathon

Sunderland runner Les Arnott’s feet were killing him - the day after the London Marathon.

But the keen athlete wasn’t feeling the effects of the 1991 run. He never got to take part after a motorbike ran over his toe on the eve of the race.

The fish and chip supper which went wrong

Les was club secretary of Sunderland Harriers when he was in London in 1991.

He was staying with team members at a hotel in Hampstead. To calm his nerves, he decided to pop out for a fish supper, but had his chips when he tried to cross a busy road.

A bike appeared out of the darkness and skidded into him.

Toe and rib injuries

It left him nursing a badly swollen toe and a suspected broken rib and with no choice to pull out of the race.

It robbed him of the chance to compete in his fourth London marathon. He said at the time: “It was very disappointing because all my preparations had gone so well, my foot began to balloon up.”

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Despite the setback, he hoped to be fighting fit to take part in the veterans race a year later.

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