Fiona Takes On Bristol 10K After Horse Riding Accident

Entries for the Simplyhealth Great Bristol 10k and the Simplyhealth Great Bristol Family Mile are now open. Enter at: Greatrun.org/Bristol10k

A woman who suffered severe concussion and a broken hip while she was horse riding has battled back to her feet and will take on a running challenge this spring thanks to the help of her daughter and husband.

Fiona Miller, from Portishead in Somerset, was severely injured when she fell from her horse in 2012.

Fiona, who was a keen horse rider, suffered concussion and remembered little about the event when she woke up in hospital afterwards.

The accident caused her to break her hip and doctors had to insert three screws to repair the damage she had suffered.

Fiona was confined to crutches for six months and embarked on an intense physiotherapy course to improve her walking.

The recovery process was slow and she began to lose the motivation to improve both physically and mentally.

Thanks to the help of her husband Peter, 48, and her 11-year-old daughter Hannah, Fiona started running when she eventually found her feet.

Hannah supported her mum who was on a mission to improve her health and fitness and return to an active lifestyle.

She joined Fiona on short runs to help her get back on her feet and will support her mum and Dad when they take on the Simplyhealth Great Bristol 10k on Sunday 7 May.

Fiona decided to sign up to the event with Peter as a way of keeping the family motivated.

She said: “In the spring of 2012 I had a horse riding accident and I suffered a broken hip and concussion. “I couldn’t remember what happened which is probably a good thing. I was in hospital for a week and had three screws inserted into my hip to make everything hold together.

“I had to use crutches and it took me half a year before I could find my feet and even then I could not walk far.

“Over time things improved but at one point I started using my injury as an excuse to not to do things.

“I knew something needed to change and so when Peter signed up for the Simplyhealth Great Bristol 10k I decided to join so I could take the steps to getting back into fitness.

“I thought about how lucky I really am and that there are so many amazing people out there with far worse impediments than me who are doing incredible things and here I am making excuses.

“From that day I set out on a mission and gave myself a kick up the backside.”

Fiona has now transformed herself into someone who loves running and has lost weight in the process.

Fiona and Terry will join over 12,000 participants on a 10km tour of Bristol for the event, which features a scenic, fast and flat course that takes runners along the Avon Gorge and passes under the iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge.

The event also features the Simplyhealth Great Bristol Family Mile, where children and their families can run and enjoy being active together.

Fiona added: “I couldn’t believe that I suddenly turned into someone who enjoys running, even uphill and in the rain!

“Hannah decided to join me on my training and I now realise that I couldn’t have done it without her.

“We are all feeling the benefits of it as our diet has improved, we all have more energy, it’s made such a positive impact on our lives.

“I wish that it hadn’t taken me so long to mentally recover from the accident but I am so glad I finally made it.

“I am determined to cross the finish line of the Simplyhealth Great Bristol 10k in May, even if I am at the back of the field.

“It will be the end of a long, hard journey but hopefully the beginning of a much longer and positive one.”

Entries for the Simplyhealth Great Bristol 10k and the Simplyhealth Great Bristol Family Mile are now open. Enter at: Greatrun.org/Bristol10k