By Justin Flynn
When Ocean Grove veterinarian Charlie El-Hage got kicked by a horse, wrecking his knee, he feared he would never run again.
“I was on the ground in a lot of pain and I saw my leg and it was grossly mis-shapen,” he said.
“It was just swinging in the breeze. I didn’t think I’d run again.”
Three out of four knee ligaments were severely damaged. Only the lateral collateral ligament remained intact.
After a year of rehab, Charlie will run in the 10km event at the iconic Melbourne Medibank Melbourne Marathon on Sunday 15 October.
It’s been a long road back.
For a while, Charlie didn’t know how to feel about the stallion that smashed his knee.
“I did dream about euthanasing it one day,” Charlie laughed.
“But I guess part of that stallion’s persona was that he was his own man and hated vets. I treated it as a blow to my pride more than anything.”
The 55-year-old is back running and hopes to complete the 10km in less than 40 minutes.
The event is Australia’s largest marathon, attracting over 30,000 participants seeking to challenge themselves and conquer their goals.
For more information, see melbournemarathon.com.au
