A man paralysed from the waist down after the Manchester Arena bombing is taking part in the Simplyhealth Great Manchester Run

Martin Hibbert, from Bolton, whose injuries were described as the equivalent of ‘being shot 22 times at point blank range’, suffered a T10 complete spinal injury when he was stood just 30 feet away from the bomb when it detonated. But the 41-year-old football agent has defied the odds and will line up on the start line in Manchester city center this month determined to finish the 10k distance in under an hour. He will take part in a racing wheelchair alongside former Paralympian Richie Powell and best friend Lee Freeman. He said: “Anyone who knows me knows how determined I am. “It’s going to be a huge challenge for me to use my arms to push myself around the course, but I will do it. “Richie and Lee have been a huge support and have been at my side throughout the whole of my training and it will be a proud moment for me personally when we cross the finish line. The Simplyhealth Great Manchester Run will take place just two days before the anniversary of the attack, and a one minute’s silence will be observed as a mark of respect to the victims.

posted Tuesday May 8th