Liz Shepard

Times Herald

On, Jan. 1, 1980, Wayne Roberts decided to see how many days in a row he could go for at least a three-mile run.

His streak ended Oct. 24 — 13,446 days after he challenged himself.

The long-time Sandusky High School cross-country coach was found seriously injured in a ditch that afternoon, while making his second run of the day down his Moore Township road.

"I've never been that scared," said his wife, Sandra Roberts. "But his pulse was there when I grabbed him."

Sandra said a neighbor came banging on her door to tell her Wayne, 68, was in the ditch with serious head injuries.

He was taken to McKenzie hospital before being flown to St. Mary's of Michigan Medical Center. Sandra got to bring her husband home Nov. 5.

"He's doing really well and they anticipate things to improve in the coming weeks and months ... We're thankful for all the prayer support," she said.

He has a traumatic brain injury with a three- to six-month recovery process expected.

Sandra said her husband started coaching in 1976, and took a decade off when he retired from teaching in 2000 before returning to it. She also helps coach the teams.

"It's been a blessing, he just loves it," she said.

Sandra said she has gotten calls and texts from athletes they've coached throughout the years. Some of their current runners stopped by the hospital on their way to the state meet.

"We needed that. They needed that," she said.

Sandra said she hopes anyone who was in the area the day her husband was believed to have been hit by a vehicle or piece of equipment will call authorities.

Roberts was found lying in a ditch on Freiberger Road in Moore Township Oct. 24. Investigators believe he may have been hit by a vehicle between 1:30 and 2:15 p.m. that day.

He was wearing a bright orange and gray jacket, black jogging pants and gray shoes. Any drivers who saw Wayne between Snover and Smeckert roads Oct. 24 is asked to call the sheriff department at (810) 648-2000, extension 2.

Michael Carmean, the Sandusky schools superintendent, said the school is dealing with the accident as best they can.

"He's very beloved and we hope him a speedy recovery," Carmean said. "He's affected the lives of a lot, a lot of kids over the years."

In a 2004 interview with the Times Herald, Wayne said he started running every day to slim down, to ward off heart problems common in his family and for the success of his teams.

"In fact, the day I die I hope I'm out running somewhere on the road," Wayne Roberts said in 2004. "It's meant so much to me in what I've done in life."

In 2003, he was inducted into the Michigan High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

In 2011, Roberts was a nominee for the Times Herald cross-country coach of the year.

Contact Liz Shepard at (810) 989-6273 or lshepard@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @lvshepard.

How to help

Any drivers who saw Wayne Roberts on Freiberger Road between Snover and Smeckert roads Oct. 24 is asked to call the Sanilac County Sheriff Department at (810) 648-2000, extension 2.