For the first time since he was involved in a life-changing accident, Angus McDonald was on course at the YMCA Road Race.
McDonald, 47, did the 10-kilometre run in Sunday's multi-distance event, which started and finished at Masich Place Stadium. He stopped short of calling his appearance in the race a comeback.
"I don't know how to analyze comeback anymore because it's a whole new world now," McDonald said after he stepped across the finish line in a time of 54 minutes flat.
On a rainy Sept. 16, 2009, McDonald was riding his bike home from Northwood, where he was employed as a process control engineer. At the intersection of Northwood Pulp Mill Road and Old Summit Lake Road, he was struck by an eastbound pick-up truck that was turning onto Old Summit Lake. McDonald's right hand went through the passenger headlight of the truck, and the left side of his head took a full-force blow. He was flown to Vancouver General Hospital that night and was eventually transferred to Edmonton's University of Alberta Hospital, where his sister worked in the children's brain injury unit.
"My bed was only 200 paces from her office," said McDonald, who was hospitalized for a total of three months. He said he has no memory of two of those months.
Before the accident, McDonald was one of the region's elite athletes. In the Prince George Citizen Iceman -- which wraps an eight-kilometre ski, 10km run, 5km skate, 5km run and 800-metre swim into a one-day test of endurance -- he's still the record-holder. In 1994, he finished the Iceman in a time of 1:39.37.
In the early stages of his recovery, McDonald got back into his running shoes.
"I started running in January after the accident, so that would be about four months after the accident," he said. "I've still got it in my mind that I can do this, but it's different now. The left side of my body is foreign -- it's completely odd compared to the right side of the body. I have an extreme balance problem."
Half way through Sunday's race, McDonald had to slow to a walk and drink some water. After that, he picked up the pace again.
McDonald has participated in all of the Prince George Roadrunners events this season but said he doesn't have any sense of pride about getting back in motion.
"I just feel healthier that I'm doing it," he said. "I honestly don't have a good memory of what I did in the past so I don't have any really good comparison."
While McDonald is on his feet again, he hasn't received medical clearance to return to work.
Despite the accident and all the ways in which it has impacted his life, McDonald has managed to maintain a positive outlook.
"For sure," he said. "I have met so many people with my injuries -- brain injury -- and a lot of them will never have their old life back. I'm reasonably confident that I can get part of my life back. The athletic part, I've given up on that. Just being active is important to me."
Local runner Chris Budac, who was also in Sunday's YMCA race, said McDonald serves as an inspiration to others who are trying to overcome adversity.
"A lot of people would like to give up or whatever, and not even be out and seen, but he's coming back and he's got a good attitude about it," Budac said. "I'm thrilled to have him out there. He's a great role model -- he really is."
