Claire Lomas was paralyzed from the neck down back in 2007 when she was in a horse riding accident. Doctors told her she would never walk again.
So she finished the London Marathon days ago in a ‘bionic’ suit, sixteen days after the race started. She is the first person to finish a marathon in a bionic suit.
With her husband Dan, mother Joyce and 13-month-old daughter Maisie by her side, Lomas walked about two miles a day to complete the course. More than a fortnight later, on May 8th, a tearful Lomas crossed the finish line as thousands of cheering supporters urged her forward.
“The support has been breathtaking and it feels fantastic to finally finish,” Lomas, who was given a guard of honor by members of the Household Cavalry and the Virgin endurance trophy by CEO Richard Branson’s daughter Holly.
The ‘bionic suit’ runs about $75,000. The suit allows movement by detecting shifts in the movement of the human body.
Lomas was able to raise over $100,000 during her 16-day journey to complete the London Marathon.
However, organizers of the London Marathon refused to giver her a finisher’s medal or official time since she didn’t finish the marathon on the same day she started it.
But several generous marathoners gave Lomas their finisher’s medal from the race. She says she has over a dozen now.
People who win marathons can inspire others to run, but it’s people like Claire Lomas that inspire thousands of people, by overcoming impossible odds to complete what many consider an impossible task as it is.
Claire said her biggest accomplishment after the accident was giving birth to her baby daughter, Massie.
Congrats to Claire Lomas on her London Marathon finish!
