CHAT TRANSCRIPT: He went from crash victim to marathon runner

Hello, everyone! We’ll be getting started here in a few minutes, after we make sure everyone is able to log in.

Hi everybody. This is Kathy. We’re getting ready to launch at noon.

We’ll be joined shortly by Matt Long and by his co-author, Charlie Butler

In fact, I believe Charlie’s already here.

Yes, I’m here. Good morning…or good afternoon.

Excellent! Glad you were able to make it.

And I believe Matt Long has just joined us!

While we’re finishing the technical details on our end, make sure you’ve seen Kathy’s story about Matt’s remarkable recovery: http://www.mcall.com/health/mc-health-long-run-20101108,0,2109687.story

Yes I did

Hi, Matt! Thanks for making time to join us!

Hello, and thanks

Welcome to the live chat with Matt Long and Charlie Butler, co-authors of “The Long Run,” about Matt’s return to running after being in a terrible accident.

Matt why don’t you start us off by telling us a little about what you are doing now.

Well Now I am still a NYC Firefighter

and I have started a Foundation The I Will Foundation to help other like me

Today I am filming a TV commercial for the Hospital and Dr’s that saved my life

Welcome Dana, do you have any questions for Matt or Charlie?

It wasn’t to painful for me but Charlie worked really hard

We met a lot in the city where I live to go over my story

than Charlie had the tough job of putting it together and he did a great job

he sadie

Charlie, What was it like from your persepctive?

For me it was a great opportunity to get to know a person and his highs and lows. Matt has had an incredible life–traveled to a lot of places, been in a lot of situations — from competing in an Ironman to at Ground Zero on 9/11. He had a lot to share with people. The accident and his remarkable recovery only added to his story.

Dana, I have taking the year off after Ironman

We’re getting lots of great questions from readers — we’ll be posing them to Matt and Charlie shortly!

Matt, Bethany and Ryan are the couple with the running blog up in Boston. I told them we would see them at the Boston Marathon in a few months.

I am training for the world police and fire games coming to NYC in the siummer

i plan on doing some relays and cycling events

Thanks

I have to say that the stregth came from my family and support group

they never let me give up

same Bethany

Matt and Charlie: Please give us a chance to approve the questions before you answer them — we want to make sure readers can follow the exchanges!

OK

Thanks!

OK

Matt Tell us about your I Will Foundation and why you started it.

The IWF is meant to be an inspirational foundation that will help others that suffer from injury or illness that anything is possible

Matt, have you talked to other people who have been injured and were inspired by you story?

I started to let people know where i came from and what I was able to do with my body after having a less than 5% chance of survival

YES! I always go back to the hospital

I have gone as far as SD Ca to visit a young girl fighting liver cancer

Matt, What is that like talking to people in the hopsital?

It a good feeling letting people know that they have hope

and that it may take time but you to can recover fully

with the WILL to do so

Charlie, Tell us how you first met Matt.

I was covering the NYC Marathon in 2006 and met a bunch of NYC Firefighters who were running the race that year…

They were wearing a shirt that said “Go Long” on the back. I asked what that referred to. They said it was for their friend who had raced with them in the past but was now recovering from the bus accident…

…I called Matt a few days later and we finally met up several months later. Matt was still in pretty rough shape at the point.

my next goal is the Police Fire Games in 2011

I will be relaunching the IWF site in 2 weeks

and there will be a link to donate

right now we are working with a double arm amputee

helping him become an Ironman

Wow that’s really amazing. How will he swim?

thanks! Aly

he swims on his back, kicking

the entire way

I felt that if I quit I was quitting on my family and friends

I couldnt let them down

I also would not have been able to help others if i have quit

learn something about your patient

my therapist new I liked to run

and they paired me with a therapist that did as well

it kept us or gave us a bond

Charlie, How did working with Matt inspire you?

Amanda, one of Matt’s PT’s Julie, was relatively new to the hospital when she started working with Matt. She tells of how her first few weeks with Matt were pretty tough. But then they started talkign about what they had in common — she wanted to run a marathon — and their relationship clicked.

Well, when reporting Matt’s story originally for Runner’s World, I decided to run the marathon with him. So he inspired me to run a marathon, which I hadn’t done since my kids were born.

Matt, I know you said you don’t do as much running as you used to. What sports do you concentrate on now?

Thank you for what you do for others Amanda

I am cycling and swimming as much as poss.

Matt, Was it hard getting back on a bicycle since you wear injured while biking?

yes!

but I dont remember the accident so that helped

I still have major weakness on my right side

and it is hard when I see other cyclist, pass me on hills

but I am alive and competing as I once did, and that is what counts

3:13

Matt’s time had improved down from 4 hours, and he had just qualified for Boston before the accident.

Matt, Is it hard to know that you could achieve such a great time before the accident and now it is much harder?

YES

accepting the fact that I will no longer be that fast again isnt fun

but again it beats the alternitive

Matt, How do you cope with those feeling?

I now compete without being competitive, but my races have a new purpose

when someone who thinks they CAN’T sees me doing it, they to may get on the road

it was a great exp, and a challenging day

but well worth it for the mental recovery i needed

I would like to think I have a new appreciation for life and I live each day the best I can

I am still active and try to stay as healthy as possible

Thanks V

Long May You Run

I am a Catholic, I believe in God and that there was areason for my accident/survival

I was strong because of Running

and I survived to inspire others to keep positive and good things will come

One story while Matt was asleep in the hosp. was that 8 priests came to visit him one night. But then a rabbi arrived after the priests left. He joked with Matt’s dad. it took one rabbi to do the work of 8 priests.

The marathon?

I was tired!

lol

but ready for a new goal and had to train for Ironman

thanks

I would like to run Boston, than look at IM again

enjoy the read

I think everyone has that moment in IM

but I had it a couple of times

Kathy Charlie and Company, Thanks so much for chatting today

Thanks for being with us Matt. Charlie Butler will continue to stay with us for the final 15 minutes.

I need to go and film psa for hospital …
sorry I have to leave early but it was fun chatting with everyone, and LONG MAY YOU RUN!

Mike, that sounds like a devastating accident. I hope you are doing OK. Stay positive.

Matt: Thank you so much for making time for us today! Though Matt has to go, Charlie will be able to stay with us for a bit longer.

Charlie, Tell us what inspired you most about about Matt’s story other than getting you running again.

Matt is really just a normal guy — a firefighter — who had something truly terrible happen to him…

He was going to work and got crushed by a bus. …

And he had to deal with a lot of issues that were more than just physical. His whoel life was shattered…

And we all have things in life that we have to deal with — and some do it better than others. If you ask Matt it took him a long time to figure out what his life was going to be…

And I think that is reality. That’s how he inspires me. He deals with reality — whichj isn’t always great.

One day at a time, Mike.

What was it like running the marathon with Matt?

Very strange. We had the course to ourselves for the first three hours. The race gave us a heads start from the rest of the field…

…Matt ran with 2 buddies as well as myself. They told a lot of funny stories for thru the first 10 miles. ..,

…ANd then Matt stared to hurt a bit by mile 13. The alst half of the race took a LONGGGGG time. We finished in 7 hours 22 mins. Matt’s best had been 3:13, so nearly twice as long.

What is your best time?

Do have to say? (4 hours 54 mins). I’m better at 5-K’s.

Do you have any plans to follow up on Matt’s story?

Right now I think his work with his foundation is worth following. It is still a start-up but several athletes have benefited already….

…and the Fire and Police Games next summer will be very interesting. They are the Olympics for the fire and police depts around the world.

How is the “The Long Run” doing?

Sorry Jenn, Matt had to sign out about five minutes about to film a PSA.

It seems to be doing very well. Some good sales numbers on Amazon, and at a number of the expos for Marathons where we have been selling it we sold out.

Do you have any running plans in the near future?

I just did a half marathon 2 weeks ago in Richmond and recovered well. So hoping to do some of the races around the Lehigh Valley over the holidays.

It’s almost time to wrap this up. Thanks again to Matt and his co-author Charlie for joining us today! Any final questions for Charlie?

Kathy, I’ll be doing a signing of the The Long Run at the Borders in Whitehall tomorrow from 1-3. Come on over.

Karen, I hope you enjoy it.

There is nothing scheduled for Kansas City, but check out the Matt’s site I WILL FOUNDATION for his travel plans

Thanks so much for joining us! Please keep checking out themorningcall.com for more chats about health, and see our health page at http://themorningcall.com/health

Have a great afternoon, everyone.