Skip to main content

Patrick Yellon

Deputy Probation Officer in San Francisco and ultramarathoner who recovered from a near-fatal surfing accident that broke his neck, completing the Moab 240-mile ultramarathon 15 months post-injury.

May 29, 2026

7:01
Mm.
7:02
Went out, and I recall as I'm going out, it was just a super low tide, and like there were a lot of sandbars exposed.
7:10
And just thinking to myself, I'm like, "Okay, this is a little sketchy," but, um, uh, you know, you don't think anything of it really.
7:18
And so went out.
7:20
Um, man, I might've been out there about half an hour or so.
7:24
Um, I recall hopping on a wave, going right, and all of a sudden, I think my board just hit a sandbar, and it just projected me forward, and, you know, my head, my neck just slammed right into the sand, so I believe it just probably right into another sandbar.
7:43
[lip smack] And, uh, kinda everything went black, and I kinda like woke up from the daze.
11:58
Mm

We value your privacy

We use cookies to understand how you use our platform and to improve your experience. Click “Accept All” to consent, or “Decline non-essential” to opt out of non-essential cookies. Read our Privacy Policy.