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Man finishes race to thank team who saved his life

BBC A man wearing thickly rimmed black glasses sits next to his friend, Both are wearing matching blue T-shirts and smiling. He gives a thumbs up. BBC
John Noble and his friend Bethan McCarthy completed the Middlesbrough 3k

A man who suffered "catastrophic" head injuries in a car crash which killed the driver, his friend, has completed his first race since.

John Noble from Stokesley, North Yorkshire, was left with brain damage and given less than two percent chance of survival in 2015.

The 29-year-old, who was 20 at the time of the crash, spent nine months receiving round the clock care at Middlesbrough's James Cook University Hospital.

He finished the town's annual three km (1.8 mile) race, a nearly two mile trek, in an effort to raise money for the team who saved his life on Sunday.

"I used to be a fit lad, I used to do the Great North Run so it is one hell of an achievement to complete it," he told the BBC.

"I'm raising money for James Cook Hospital because I want to give them something back."

Handout John Noble lies in a hospital bed with bandages and tubes - he has black eyes and is wearing a hospital gownHandout
Mr Noble spent several months in the care of medics at James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough

After his condition stabilised, Mr Noble spent a further 13 months at the Walkergate Park Centre in Newcastle, a hospital which specialises in brain injuries.

He was left unable to talk, walk or eat after the crash but has gradually relearned each of those skills.

He said his family and friends were "proud" of his recovery, and added: "It hasn't been easy... but it's been one hell of a journey."

John Noble crosses the finish line with a walking frame. He has two friends flanking him, a woman in a stripey top and a man wearing a rucksack. Each has a red and blue label with a race number on them, they read 416 Andrew, 732 John, and 9 Jenny.
The 28-year-old completed the race, his first since the crash

Jenny Alexanders, who has worked with Mr Noble for the past four years, said he had been determined to live a normal life.

She said: "He suffered catastrophic head injury and it left him with real debilitating weakness, balance and issues.

"He is now able to walk with supervision, with a frame, and he's come on amazingly."

In recent years, Mr Noble has helped his father, run a holiday park in North Yorkshire.

He plans to next take on the Middlesbrough 10k, a longer race which covers nearly seven miles of the town, next year.

"The only way is up," he added.

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