Proving that anything is possible with sheer will and determination, pregnant Claire Lomas became the first person to cross the finish line at the Great North Run despite being paralysed from the chest down.
The 36-year-old mum used a ‘bionic suit’ to complete the half marathon from Newcastle to South Shields which began last Wednesday.
With her five-year-old daughter Masie cheering her on, Claire walked for three miles every day as she raised funds for the Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation.
Still heading towards the coast @claire80lomas #ClairesWalk #GreatNorthRun pic.twitter.com/JHBaXRl7VX
— lulu kyriacou (@lulukyriacou) September 10, 2016
At 16 weeks pregnant, the Leicestershire native worried she wouldn’t be able to participate due to terrible morning sickness but with the encouragement of little Masie and her husband Dan, Claire achieved the impossible today she crossed the finish line ahead of many elite athletes.
One of those was Olympic champion Mo Farah.
“I had quite a lot of morning sickness. I didn’t have the lead up I wanted, but I really did not want to lose this opportunity,” she told the Leicester Mercury.
Nine years after she was thrown from a horse causing her to break her neck, back and ribs, Claire has raised more than £500,000 for NSIF.
