Steve Baker works out with his trainer at 24 Hour Fitness in Aurora. ( HYOUNG CHANG )

DENVER -- His right knee ached because of a ligament strain, and his groin stung because of a hernia diagnosed just last Tuesday, but those were hardly the biggest obstacles Steve Baker overcame to run the Denver Marathon on Sunday.

Thirteen months ago, Baker was paralyzed after diving into a swimming pool and hitting the bottom with his head. Two cervical vertebrae were fractured, requiring emergency spinal fusion surgery. Awakening with no feeling in his arms or legs, and immobilized by a halo brace, Baker was forced to contemplate the prospect of life in a wheelchair.

But Baker, 33, was "a blessedly lucky man," in the words of his physician at Craig Rehabilitation Hospital, Indira Lanig. Even though one vertebra burst into pieces, the damage to his spinal cord was "incomplete," meaning there was a chance he could walk and even run again. He had been training for the 2008 Denver Marathon at the time of the accident, so running Sunday's marathon became his goal.

Baker, who lives in Denver, is still numb on his left side and weak on his right. Because of the knee strain and hernia, he ran the last 4 miles Sunday grunting like a tennis player, but he achieved his dream, and he was overjoyed to finish in 4 hours, 34 minutes, 49 seconds.

"It's the most amazing feeling," Baker said. "I can't even describe it."

For the rest of the story, see denverpost.com.