British charity runner left for dead when pick-up truck hit him as he crossed the USA survived because he was on phone to his ex-wife at the time - now he's run the length of Britain

Published: 00:21 BST, 7 October 2026 | Updated: 00:59 BST, 7 October 2026

A charity runner who was left for dead after being hit by a pick-up truck while crossing the United States has now run the length of Britain. 

Nick Ashill, 62, was running from Santa Monica to Coney Island in 2017 when he was struck down by a vehicle in the state of Ohio, seeing him thrown in a ditch and left unconscious. 

Mr Ashill, who grew up in Pontypool but lives in New Zealand, was on a Skype call to his ex-wife, Sarah, and children at the time of the incident. Sarah - who was holidaying in Cyprus - was luckily able to alert emergency services in Ohio of the crash, who then recovered the dying Mr Ashill and rushed him to hospital. 

The Brit spent weeks recovering at Ohio State University Hospital after suffering a smashed pelvis and complex internal injuries, and has undergone more than a dozen operations as part of his recovery.

But the marketing professor - who was told he might be wheelchair-bound or reliant on the use of a stick to walk because of the crash - has since defied expectations, returning to the US to complete the run and even running the length of Australia. 

And now, Mr Ashill has officially completed his next challenge - running the length of Great Britain from John o'Groats to Land's End, making him the second person in history to run across the US, Australia and the UK.

Nick Ashill, who was struck by a truck while running the length of the USA and left for dead, has now ran across Britain

Mr Ashill, pictured in hospital following the crash with his ex-wife, Sarah, suffered a smashed pelvis and complex internal injuries following the crash

The marketing professor has undergone more than a dozen operations as part of his recovery

Mr Ashill was previously told by medics he might be wheelchair-bound or reliant on the use of a stick to walk because of the crash (Pictured: a scan of Mr Ashill's pelvic injury)

Mr Ashill, who is running to raise money for the Pulmonary Fibrosis Trust in memory of his mother, recalled the terrifying moment he was left for dead by the pick-up truck in the US. 

He said: 'I remember watching the truck as it changed lines on the highway but I had no idea that it was going to hit me.

'The truck was just changing lanes and then it seemed to come off the road and onto the hard shoulder toward me. That is the last thing I remember.'

And if it had not been for the Skype call with Sarah, he added, he believes he would have died. Mr Ashill said: 'My body was not visible from the road so I would have just died. So if I had not been on that call I would not be talking to you now.'

Making it his third trek across a nation, Mr Ashill began his run across Britain on September 5 and has documented his progress on his Facebook page, Nick Runs Britain. 

The journey, covering the equivalent of a marathon a day for a month, started in the northeastern Scottish village of John o'Groats and has seen him pass near Glasgow, into the west of England, to Wales and finally Devon into Cornwall. 

But it has not been without its challenges. Mr Ashill visited A&E after experiencing swelling, stiffening and pain in his leg - meaning he had to cycle part of the way.

Mr Ashill completed the journey on Friday, October 2, in Land's End in Cornwall - mainland Britain's most south-westerly point.