After a decade of pain, Ned Buckell is still chasing his return to running

Ned Buckell keeps a race number from the 2016 Melbourne Marathon Festival pinned to his wall. It reminds him that, despite everything, he still has a destination to reach.

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There’s definitely been times when you think to yourself, what am I doing this for? Why am I still trying to get back running at a reasonably high level?

Buckell’s path back to running has included a life-threatening infection as a teenager, a year and a half on crutches and another serious infection just as he thought his recovery was taking shape. That second setback led to a hip replacement before he was 21.

There have been plenty of moments when he has wondered why he is still trying to return to running at a reasonably high level. The doubts, he says, tell him he will never get the most out of himself. But he answers them by focusing on what he can achieve. He says that belief is why he has not given up, even after being repeatedly knocked down.

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I think the biggest thing is because I knew I would do it.

Running was part of Buckell’s life from an early age. His father, John, ran, and Ned and his twin brother, Matt, joined their older brothers at cross-country races around Bendigo. They began running when they were five. Buckell turned his attention to the sport more seriously at 13 or 14, after leaving football, and believed he and Matt had the talent to move to the next level. Matt did so. Ned’s progress was interrupted by illness, but he continues to pursue the return represented by that race number.

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I can get the most out of what I can, and I’ve always told myself I can.