Claire Lomas has raised more than £10,000 after battling through high winds and rain to walk 10 miles in 24 hours in a robotic suit.
The inspirational fundraiser, who was paralysed from the chest down in a cross-country fall 10 years ago, took on the Great South Run route to raise money for the Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation (NSIF).
Her start was delayed by a day due to Storm Brian hitting Portsmouth, resulting in the cancellation of all the Great South Run’s Saturday events.
(Image credit: Simplyhealth Great South Run)
The longest distance Claire had previously walked in one day was six miles.
She set off with 20,000 other participants on Sunday (22 October) and walked through the night to finish at around 10am this morning (23 October).
“I did it!” said Claire.
“I had amazing support, all through the night people popped down with cups of tea.
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“It was tough — I tried not to think of the distance and I got there in the end. It went quicker than I thought, I just kept marching forwards.”
She added the atmosphere at the start was “unbelievable”, thanking all those who cheered her on and those who came down especially to see her finish.
Claire Lomas hopes her actions prompts councils to
The total on Claire’s JustGiving page has topped £4,600, with offline donations taking this to around £10,000.
Online donors have also been entered into a raffle, with prizes including tickets to Badminton, Olympia and Cheltenham. This will be drawn on Wednesday (25 October).
(Image credit: Simplyhealth Great South Run)
Claire has raised more than £575,000 to help cure paralysis through a number of mammoth challenges and inspirational talks.
She was awarded her motorcycle race licence in July and her most recent challenge before this weekend was walking the 2016 Great North Run, which she completed in the bionic suit while pregnant with her second child.
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.
