Paralysed event rider Claire Lomas completed the 26.2 miles of the Virgin London Marathon course today (Tuesday 8 May). It took her a total of 17 days to finish the course.
Claire is only able to walk through use of a special robotic suit, as she was paralysed from the chest down in an eventing accident in 2007. Her progress was painstakingly slow and she averaged about 1.5miles per day.
The eventing world has been hugely supportive of Claire's mission, with many riders donating to her cause and walking alongside her during her marathon attempt.
She aimed to raise £50,000 for Spinal Research, and as of today has raised £90,000.
There was initially outcry at the news the Claire would not receive a finisher's medal, due to the length of time it had taken her to complete the course.
Richard Branson from sponsors Virgin then announced that she would be receiving the Virgin Trophy instead. "Here at Virgin we treasure amazing acts of bravery - especially ones that raise money for charity - and Claire’s marathon is certainly that," he said in a statement. "We launched the Virgin Trophy to recognise men and women who go that extra mile, who challenge themselves beyond normal human limitations.
"The past two recipients have been The Seagulls, who broke the Guinness World Record for an all-female crew rowing unaided around Britain, and John Isner, the player who won the longest tennis match in history in Wimbledon. Now we would be honoured to present Claire with the Virgin Trophy for 2012."
| 3:30am | Monty's Memories |
| 4:00am | Secret Rivers |
| 4:30am | Secret Rivers |
| 5:00am | Secret Rivers |
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