A keen triathlete from Pembrokeshire is defying the odds by continuing her goal of attempting 100 marathons.

Mandy Draper from Pembroke nearly lost her life in 2016 after a serious accident whilst cycling home from work.

Mandy recalls the traumatic experience: “Luckily for me it all happened so quickly. All I remember is that car coming towards me.”

Mandy was airlifted from the scene of the accident to Morriston Hospital, Swansea, where she was placed in a coma due to the extent of her injuries.

“I was airlifted to Morriston Hospital where it was discovered I had sustained a head injury, a punctured lung, nearly all my ribs were broken, and my wrist was badly broken too. On top of that, the handlebars of my bike had pierced my thigh, narrowly missing the main artery.”

Despite the odds of survival stacked against her and doctors doubting she may ever walk again, Mandy turned a corner and made a remarkable recovery.

Since leaving hospital, Mandy has completed several marathons, including the Lanzarote and Birmingham Marathons. More notably recently, Mandy completed the Swansea Half Marathon whilst wearing a helicopter flight suit and helmet, raising over £100 for Wales Air Ambulance. She also wore the kit for the whole of the 26.2-mile Long Course Weekend marathon on Sunday.

Mandy added: “I knew I wanted to tackle the Swansea Half as it’s always had great reviews. I wanted to do it to not only raise money but also raise awareness of Wales Air Ambulance. The team at Dafen kindly lent me an old flight-suit and helmet which I then ran the whole course wearing.

“It was a difficult but rewarding challenge and I’m so glad I did it. I will always be grateful to Wales Air Ambulance for coming to my aid in my hour of need.”

After Sunday’s marathon Mandy said: “I am absolutely overwhelmed with the incredible support. This was my biggest challenge so far and I really couldn’t have done it without the incredible support from my friends, running friends and in general Pembrokeshire people!

“Thank you so much to Nicola Coates and Tenby Aces for your ace support, you really kept me going with the ice, sweets, hugs etc, also thank you so much to the LCW volunteers for their incredible support throughout, plus the fantastic support in Manobier and Penally, the hosepipes were spot on!

“A huge thanks to everyone who has donated so far, special thanks to Dave from the The Hope Inn and customers for your kind donations.

“Last but by no means least a special thanks Matthew Evans for putting on such a spectacular event and giving me a mention! Also to the LCW guy who helped me collect the money on the red carpet ...the support here was absolutely out of this world and an experience I will remember for the rest of my life. I’m sure it took me a good 10 to 15 mins to cross the finish line simply because each and everyone of you wanted to donate! Thanks Tenby for making my bucket heavy oh and the guy who bought me a pint at the end - legend!

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart Tenby/Pembrokeshire people, words cannot express how I feel right now!”

Mandy shows no sign of slowing down with her sights firmly set on other running challenges throughout the summer.