Injured Soldier Completes London Marathon In 13 Days

Major Packer was serving with the Royal Millitary Police in Iraq when he lost the use of both his legs when injured in a rocket attack. The immediate diagnosis was that he would never walk again; a little over a year later he completed the London Marathon walking two miles each day with the aid of crutches.

He was participating to raise money for the soldiers' charity Help For Heroes and aims to raise a total of Ј1m. This is poignantly relevant as four members of the armed forces were killed in Afghanistan on Friday, the day before he finished. His thoughts after he crossed the Finish line were with the families of those killed, a moment he describes as 'bitter-sweet' under the circumstances.

The London Marathon takes place on the roads in central London, and the roads were all open to traffic on the day after the event; so he will have completed most of the course as a normal pedestrian. But at the finish line 5-times Olympic gold medallist rower Steve Redgrave was there to present him with his official finisher's medal.

What is also particularly interesting about his story is the remark he made after finishing, "I've walked 52,400 steps and somebody has walked with me every step of the way, be it a dinner lady, a London taxi driver or a Metropolitan Police officer." Like many big cities, London isn't perhaps best known for it's friendly locals, but people are always interested in the personal stories of those choosing to do something astonishing for the benefit of something bigger than themselves.

Behind the headlines of the fast Kenyan runners winning in new course records, this is what the London Marathon is really about. The London Marathon is a unique event in the British running calendar with more of a festival atmosphere than anything else; not what you would naturally expect from an international running event where world records have been known to fall.

The event is about the mass runners who all have their own personal reasons for taking part. Many are raising money for charity, some are running in memory of loved ones, some decide to run in the most unusual of costumes, and some are running simply for themselves, but they are all united in making the London Marathon unique.

Written by Dewi Williams
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