Shoreline's "Running Man" to publish autobiography

Lamont Thomas of Shoreline
"The Running Man"

My name is Lamont Thomas.

At 18 months old I was hit by a car in Lake City and pronounced dead on the scene.

The only reason I'm here today is because of a doctor who lived nearby who did CPR until medics arrived. It was a horrific scene and life for me would never be the same.

I had fractured arms, a broken femur, a broken neck, and partial paralysis on the entire right side of my body, as well as minor injuries.

The doctors told me I would never walk again without assistance. I believed them, until I was 13.

I was placed in a body cast from 12 to 13 and a half. I worked for about a year and learned to walk.

At 15 I had surgery to fix a hip injury caused by the way I sway when I walk. The swaying is from the partial paralysis on my right side from the brain injury caused by the car accident. Doctors said it would take a year for me to walk again after the hip surgery - but it took me eight weeks.

I started running four weeks later.

At the age of 17 that same hip had shredded from the way that I walked. I had an inch of bone left so I had my hip resurfaced. Once again the doctor stated it would take a year to recover.

Four weeks later I started walking. Eight weeks later I was running and have been ever since. People call me "The Running Man." I have a Facebook page called Lamont The Running Man Thomas.

I jog 84 miles a week from 185th to the waterfront at Richmond Beach in spite of agonizing back pain from scoliosis and now rheumatoid arthritis.

Life is a journey and I refuse to stop. Dreams are attainable if you believe.

This spring, my book, "The Running Miracle!" will be published.

I would like to give a special shoutout to my employer of 12 years Gibraltar LLC, my publisher John Budz of Ward Street Press, and my co-writer and editor Ashley Graham.

----
We'll let you know when the book is on the shelves.

See our previous article on LJ