Dallas Runner Makes “Impossible” Comeback

Perseverance, patience, and a desire to make a difference helped him do it.

Two years ago, Eric Nelson, an editor with the Dallas Morning News, was struck by a car after completing the 2008 Dallas Runners Club Half Marathon. In the accident, he suffered a traumatic brain injury, cracked vertebra and ribs, and two broken legs. Survival wasn’t certain the first 24 hours afterwards.

Two years later, Nelson crossed the finish line of the ING New York City Marathon in 4:47:53 with his wife, Colleen McCain Nelson. Both were wearing tee shirts that read, “Nothing is Impossible.”

“It meant the world to me,” said Eric, ecstatic and proud.

“It was such a steep hill to climb,” Colleen recalled. “We focused on one small step at a time. It’s been our mantra for the last two years.”

Eric playfully noted he finished before Subway spokesman Jared Fogle, Al Roker, the Chilean miner and, technically, world-record holder Haile Gebrselassie, who dropped out. But he added, “New York wasn’t about beating anyone. It was about the challenge of getting it done. I know I’m lucky that I can even do it.”

For More: Dallas Morning News