AFTER breaking his neck in a rugby match two years ago Jeremy Frain is back on track for a comeback.

Sadly, not on the field of sporting combat but, following an astonishing recovery, he was able to compete against Wilmslow's fittest and best athletes in the recent half marathon.

Now his sheer determination and stamina have been acknowledged and he was among 20 runners presented with "Feet of Flame" awards by Christie Hospital.

Jeremy, 42, raised £600 in sponsorship for the hospital when he ran the road race and between them the award winners raised £25,000. "I'll never play rugby again. But I guess you could say that this year's half marathon was my way of making a comeback," said Jeremy. "I'm very pleased to have done it and I'm grateful to all my sponsors."

He had a strong incentive to run the road race for Christie's as his wife, Carol, was successfully treated at the hospital for cancer and now works for the Appeals Office.

It proved to be a hard slog but Jeremy managed to complete the 13 and a half miles in a personal best time of one hour and 49 minutes. Employed at Astra Zeneca in the IT department he turned to colleagues at work to support his fund raising challenge.

He first ran the half marathon for Christie's two years ago and raised £500. It was soon afterwards his neck was broken while playing in a rugby match.

For his brave effort he received a certificate of achievement presented by Judy Leden, MBE, world record holder for hang gliding and para gliding. Also at the ceremony was television compare and presenter Paul Crone.

Angela Roden, Christie's director of appeals, thanked the runners for their "wonderful donations and stamina." Professor Nic Jones, director of Christie's Paterson Institute research laboratories described how the money raised was helping to fund exciting research developments using gene therapy and other novel techniques.