A Whanganui-raised woman is by her ultra-marathoner husband's side as he begins the slow road to recovery from a hit-and-run in the United States.
On August 2, Sarah Ashill's husband Nick was 80 days into a run to raise awareness of pulmonary fibrosis when he was hit by a ute and left for dead in a ditch on Route 66.
The impact ripped the wing mirror off the truck and left Nick with severe injuries, including a smashed pelvis, compound fracture to his right femur and bowel perforation.
Amazingly, he was on a Skype call to Sarah, who was in Cyprus, when it happened. Nick's phone landed a few metres away from where he was lying and Sarah was able to raise the alarm via the couple's eldest daughter who was following Nick's journey in a motorhome.
Sarah, who is a nurse, managed to keep Nick talking until the phone cut out. Fortunately, state troopers arrived on the scene minutes later and called for a helicopter. Nick was flown to hospital in a critical condition. Sarah arrived in the United States 35 hours later to be with her husband.