On Monday 30th May, a group of nsif champions took part in the Vitality London 10,000. The 10 K race took runners through the heart of London past famous landmarks of the capital such as St Pauls Cathedral and Buckingham Palace.
Among our champions was patron and hero Claire Lomas. Claire, who was paralysed from the chest down in 2007 after a horse riding accident, took on the 10 K challenge with the help of her ReWalk suit. Dedicated Claire set off at 5am from The Mall – 5 hours before the official start time – and finished at 5pm that evening, taking a total of 12 hours to complete the course.
Claire commented “I’m still pretty sore but it was really worth it. I didn’t think about doing 10K, but just took each kilometre at a time. I set off and was just really determined to do it. We set off at 5am and the organisers were brilliant. It felt forever but it was amazing when the runners came past, there was a real buzz and it just kept me going.”
Claire has now raised over £13,000, 13 times her original fundraising target. Her JustGiving page is flooded with heartfelt messages of support and encouragement, including from fellow Vitality 10,000 runners who spotted Claire on the day. One supporter wrote, “Fantastic effort Claire!! I passed you at around 6km and seeing your determination almost made me cry. Good luck for the finish!!”
We are immensely proud of her achievement and to have her as a patron. We are in awe by her resolve and devotion to raising money for, and awareness of, spinal cord injury.
It would be wrong not to mention Claires helpers, husband Dan Spincer, friend Stuart Hall and photographer Lulu Kyriacou to name a few!
Fantastic effort to all involved! Well done!
View pictures from the day here
You can show your support by donating to her JustGiving page
