Winnipeg expat runs Boston Marathon just months after surviving devastating bike collision

Lindsey Klassen nearly died this April after sustaining massive chest injuries from a bike crash. But that didn't stop the ultramarathoner from lacing up her sneakers and running the Boston Marathon earlier this week.

Klassen is originally from Cooks Creek, Man., but now lives in California.

On April 17, she was on a ride with her husband when her bike broke as she was going downhill.

"My back brake actually locked up and it stopped working, and so I had no brakes going around a pretty steep descent around a curve," she said.

She flew over a guardrailand landed on a metal post, impaling her chest. It ripped her chest open, caused multiple rib fractures and a punctured lung. She also suffered a lacerated liver during the collision.

She was rushed to hospital where she had emergency surgery.

"Up until that time, when they brought me back into the operating room, I remember everything, fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, I'm not sure," she said.

The recovery has been intense. Klassen was in intensive care for five days afterward, and wasin hospital for 10 days total. She says she wasn't able to work for at least four months and has had two reconstructive surgeries so far, but will likely need more.

Six months later, she says she's still dealing with pain from her injuries and the mental trauma of the incident, but her lung function is back to normal.

"But overall, I feel like I'm doing really well and I don't let it stop me," she said.

Klassen qualified for the Boston Marathon in 2019 and was planning on running it last year. But then, the COVID-19 pandemic happened.

Though she was still dealing with the aftermath of the collision, Klassen said she was determined to run the marathon this October.

Due to her recovery, she says she only got in about two months of training ahead of the Oct. 11 race. But she still managed to complete it.

"I love running. It's the number one thing that I wake up to do every day, and I just, I can't see my life without it," she said.

LISTEN | Winnipeg expat on running Boston Marathon while recovering from bike accident: