New York Fire Fighter Talks Recovery in The Long Run

October 15, 2010 – Uniformed Firefighters Association of New York (UFA) Local 94 fire fighter Matt Long chronicles his road to recovery after a serious accident in the new book, The Long Run. Long was given a 1 percent chance to live after a 2005 bus collision, but recovered well enough to run the New York City Marathon in 2008 and subsequently competed in an Ironman competition.

On the morning of December 22, 2005, Long, then 39, was cycling to work during an ongoing New York City transit strike when he was struck by and sucked under a 20-ton bus. The bus, hired by Bear Stearns to transport its employees to work during the strike, had made an illegal turn onto the street where Long was cycling.

Long’s injuries included a shattered pelvis, a broken leg, a broken arm, a dislocated shoulder and massive internal bleeding. Doctors did not think he would survive, but after 40 operations and five months in the hospital, Long was ready to begin physical therapy.
The surgeries left Long's right leg three-quarters of an inch shorter than his left, and it requires a special shoe. But the accomplished marathon runner (one of his best times was three hours and 13 minutes) was not ready to stop being an athlete.

Long co-wrote The Long Run with Runner’s World editor Charles Butler, detailing his remarkable story and how he not only cheated death, but felt comfortable in his running shoes again. Click here for more details.