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Brook MacDonald’s Return to Racing Documented in “The Road Back” – Video

Nearly two years after a devastating spinal cord injury, Brook MacDonald is back on course

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On August 31st, 2019, New Zealand pro racer, Brook MacDonald crashed on a training lap ahead of the World Championships at Mont-Sainte-Anne. He fractured his T12 and L1 vertebrae, and could not feel his legs. It was doubtful that he would ever walk again, let alone return to professional racing. In a video released today by Red Bull, MacDonald recounts the nearly two-year journey he’s been on with the goal of doing exactly that. Through interviews with friends and family and social media footage, “The Road Back” illustrates how severe the injury was and how hard MacDonald had to work to get where he is today, training for the 2021 race season. Far beyond a quick update or press release, this is an over-20-minute mini-documentary of the highs and lows of recovering from a spinal cord injury. Hopefully you’re working from home, ’cause it’s a bit of a tear-jerker.

Brook MacDonald road to recovery

Brook MacDonald

Brook MacDonald downhill

Photos: Graeme Murray / Red Bull Content Pool