Double amputee Garry Rogers on surviving being electrocuted and running the Gold Coast Marathon

A man electrocuted in a workplace incident that cost him both arms has opened up about his near-death experience and what saved his life. Watch the VIDEO

In part two of our ‘Reason to Run’ series, this Gold Coast Marathon entrant says he doesn’t want to imagine life without running, crediting it for his recovery, mentally and physically, from a near-death experience. Read his story.

Garry Rogers still remembers the day he was blasted by electricity from high voltage power lines on the job for Energex, losingboth his arms.

It was 10 years ago in Brisbane as an overhead linesman, doing a procedure he’d done “many times” over a 30-year career. “It was a series of unfortunate events,” he said. “No one can really say exactly how it happened. It felt like I got hit by abus. I was burnt and I couldn’t move my arms.”

Garry was in a cherrypicker and colleagues cut his overalls off and doused him in cold water from a garden hose until paramedicsarrived. “I just saw my arms, how white they were and I couldn’t move them,” he said. “I was burned from the inside. I just remember being really hot.”

Medicos told Garry’s wife he wouldn’t survive – but he woke seven days later in ICU.

He lost both forearms. “I had 13 operations,” he said. “They tried to save as much as they could. I’ve gotta hand it to thedoctors. They did a great job.”

Double arm amputee and ultra marathon runner Garry Rogers at Main Beach - 10 years ago he was electrocuted on the job working for Energex: “I was burned from the inside. I just remember being really hot.” Picture: Richard Gosling

Garry spent three months in hospital before six weeks in rehab. “Coming home, it hit me like a sledgehammer,” he said.

“Trying to open drawers, I couldn’t bend over to pick things up and the logistics of showering and eating, getting dressed.I was very much a hands on, on-the-tools person. Mentally, it was a challenge.

“But I figured stuff out. I drive. I had a prosthetic. You think how can I open that?

“How can we do that? Can we buy something that can enable me to make it easier? We figured a lot out.

“I’m not totally independent but there are certain things I can do on my own, which I didn’t think I could.

“It was strange at first, I had a lot of anxiety being out in public, thinking people are looking. I don’t want to go to theshopping centre. I don’t want to get out of the car, I don’t want to do this because I just felt like everyone was staring.”

Then running entered Garry’s life.

Before the accident, the now 64-year-old was a keen cyclist. “I decided I’d like to do something because I was pretty fit,” he said. He chose running as the falls, while hurtful (he’s broken bones) were less impactful than cycling tumbles. “It’s a risk factor falling off and the logistics of setting up a bike,” he said.

“If I get a flat tyre, there is a lot involved. Running is quite simple – put on a pair of shoes and off you go.

“I taught myself to run on the treadmill. I thought if I can do 21km on a treadmill, I’ll sign up for the Goldy half-marathon.”

Garry Rogers: “I was burned from the inside. I just remember being really hot.” Picture: Richard Gosling

Garry did. Since then, he’s done multiple full marathons, 50km races and a 162km “ultra marathon”.

Fast-forward to the July 1-2 Gold Coast Marathon weekend, when he’s an official pacesetter.

“We set the speed, not fast, five hours or so, just over seven minutes per kilometre,” he said. “It’ll be fun but it’s a bitof pressure.”

Garry will stand out in a coloured singlet and with a balloon. “Whether running casually or doing a race, it’s the same – it’s just a good feeling,” he said. “Even though I had the accident, I’m still here, living a pretty good life. There’s otherpeople who aren’t so fortunate.

“In order to run, you gotta get out and expose yourself to the outside world. When you do the Gold Coast Marathon, there’s1000s looking at you. But all you hear is ‘Go Garry’, everyone is cheering and it’s such a great feeling.”

His ever-present wife sets him up to go running and is always there if he needs to call.

“Without my wife by my side from the word go, I don’t even think I’d be here,” Garry said.

“(But) once I leave that front door, and it’s me only. I’m doing my own thing. I just go out and whatever happens it’s allon me. It’s a sense of freedom.

“It brings me a lot of pleasure knowing I can go out there and run as fast or slow or as far or as little as I want.” Garry’sadvice to others facing adversity or thinking about getting into running? “Get out there and start,” he said. “Someone oncetold me it’s not about the race, it’s about getting to the start.

“Whether on a bike, or running, even walking, just get out there, don’t let people tell you can’t. You’re better than youthink, you can always do more than you think you can.”

NOTE: Portia Large is a Gold Coast Marathon ambassador. *This content is sponsored by the Gold Coast Marathon.