‘Long, hard road’ from skydive injury to Ironman

Image source, Michael OakesImage caption, Michael Oakes set himself a target of competing in an Ironman triathlon when he was still in hospital

A former Royal Marine commando has described his "single-minded mental approach" in competing in one of the world's toughest Ironman challenges, three years after surgery following a skydive accident.

Michael Oakes, 50, from Andover, Hampshire, was told he may never walk again after the accident at Netheravon, Wiltshire, in 2023.

He is taking part in the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, involving a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile cycle and 26.2-mile marathon.

He said it had been a "long, hard road" to recover from his injuries.

Oakes was no stranger to extreme and demanding sports.

An accomplished skydiver, he had completed 18 Ironman triathlons and six 100-mile ultramarathons.

But on 8 October 2023, he was completing his 379th skydive, and his eighth of the weekend, when a complicated manoeuvre he tried went badly wrong and he hit the ground at 40mph (64km/h).

He was airlifted to hospital in Southampton by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance and recalls how doctors told him his lumbar spine had "exploded" – he had suffered a burst fracture with one of his vertebrae broken into six pieces.

Image source, Michael OakesImage caption, Oakes underwent major surgery on a fractured vertebrae

He required high-risk surgery using metal screws and rods to stabilise a fracture in his spine.

He was told he would not be able to do anything significant for nine to 12 months.

"I thought 'I can't do the job I do now', 'I won't be able to do the things I enjoy doing'.

"You very quickly envisage an entirely different life and not one that I really wanted to envisage," he said.

He adopted the Royal Marine's approach of "cheerfulness in adversity".

"I made it a bit of a mission to get better as quickly as possible and get back to doing the things that I love doing," he said.

When he left hospital he was still unable to walk.

Image source, Michael OakesImage caption, The Ironman World Championship includes a 2.4-mile swim

"It started with me having a plan in my head that meant that every day I would walk a little bit further.

"So on day one, I walked down my hallway. On day two, I walked to the end of my driveway. On day three I walked to the bus stop and I just carried on increasing it every day.

"It happens by having a single-minded mental approach that you are going to get better and just trusting the process and putting the work in every day," he said.

He was so confident in his ability to recover that, while he was still in hospital, he booked himself on to an Ironman race in Barcelona scheduled for 12 months after his surgery.

It took six months before he was able to go on even short runs without feeling in "real agony".

"I knew I was going to get on the start line," he insisted.

Image source, Michael OakesImage caption, Oakes has already made a return to skydiving

As well as completing the Barcelona event, he has also returned to skydiving, completing another 400 jumps since his surgery.

He is now working as an operations manager at Southern Co-op.

The Ironman World Championship in Hawaii on Saturday is exactly three years and two days since Oakes' surgery.

"The race on Pona is unforgiving. There's no shelter, it's hot and it's incredibly humid so the conditions are quite tough.

"We talk a lot in the Royal Marines about resilience and a pursuit of excellence – I've got no doubt already that I'm going to get to the finish line.

"Will I keep the emotions in? No. And am I ashamed of that? Absolutely not," he said.

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