Double amputee soldier to tackle 'race from hell'

Lance Bombardier James Simpson of the Royal Artillery with head coach Michael Cohen. Credit: Anna Gowthorpe/PA Wire

A soldier who lost both his legs in an Afghanistan explosion has been described as an "inspiration," as he prepares to take part in an extreme challenge dubbed "the obstacle race from hell".

Lance Bombardier James Simpson, 27, is set to be the first double amputee to take part in a Spartan Race event.

Spartan Race is an open country run punctuated with a range of punishing, surprise obstacles - from mud crawls and ice-pit plunges to cargo-net climbs and fire-log leaps.Organisers sum it up as "an event of pure, primitive craziness".

Lance Bombardier Simpson, from Rawdon, near Leeds, was serving with 5th Regiment, Royal Artillery when he stepped on an improvised explosive device as he returned from a foot patrol in Helmand. He lost both his legs above the knee and also damaged both his arms in the blast in November 2009.

In preparation for the race, the soldier has been using his running blades - shortened versions of those used by Paralympics track athletes - and what he calls his 'stubbies', which are small pads that fit on the bottom of what is left of his thighs.

Lance Bombardier James Simpson in training. Credit: Anna Gowthorpe/PA Wire

Despite quickly mastering his prosthetic legs with the help of the Army's rehabilitation centre at Headley Court, in Surrey, it was only earlier this year that Simpson decided he wanted to start running properly again.

He said he took the decision after agreeing to run in a 1500m race at the Warrior Games for injured servicemen in the United States and surprising himself with how much he enjoyed it.

Lance Bombardier James Simpson of the Royal Artillery during a training session in woods near Otley, Leeds. Credit: Anna Gowthorpe/PA Wire

"My first challenge was to walk again, not run around an assault course with loads of mud. I gave myself a few months to do that and then, when I achieved that, I never really focused on running much. Running's only something I've started doing seriously this year."Then I saw some pictures of some of my friends who did a Spartan Race in America and I was, like 'I want to give that a bash'."

Lance Bombardier Simpson is starting with the Spartan York Sprint on September 8, near Ripon, North Yorkshire, and features more than 25 obstacles over a 5km course.

Simpson, who is leaving the Army in September to become a student, is hoping his participation will raise money for the national armed forces charity SSAFA.

His money-raising website can be found at his Just Giving page.