Last year Phil Packer took 14 days to drag himself around the London marathon route. That’s a slow time but coming only 13 months after being paralysed while on active duty in Basra it’s an immense achievement and the best way to respond to the pronouncement “you’ll never walk again”.
While I’m tucked away under my duvet this Sunday morning, thousands of nervous people will be congregating in Greenwich eagerly waiting for the challenge of a lifetime. I imagine most will start off running but a good few will find themselves hobbling towards the end. Phil will be there with them again but this year he is back aiming to complete all 26 miles in 26 hours.
Phil has dedicated each and every mile to a different charity. His first mile is in aid of arthritis research UK and he’ll be joined by Catherine Bull a young arthritis sufferer who had a hip replacement at the age of 20.
I’ll wake up in time to see many of these heroes crossing the finish line having conquered their own personal battles over the last 26 miles and I know now that I’ll end up in tears and feel inspired to put in yet another entry into the ballot.
Here’s the link to Phil’s fundraising website.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh ok, you’ve given me goosebumps!
An incredible achievement and he is raising money for a great cause as well!
thumbs up to your blog and ballot entry :O)
Phil Packer’s achievement is incredible. I work for Oxfam and we are official charity for the 2011 Lonodn Marathon. We have places available for the marathon and also for the beautiful Royal Parks half marathon and exciting Run to the Beat event.
At Oxfam we treat runners like the heroes they are, helping you every step of the way and cheering you over the finish line. Run with us and know your footsteps, like Phil’s, are echoing around the world, helping passionate, determined people like yourself.
I wonder if you would consider adding alink to our site on your blog?