No excuses: Claire Lomas - most unusual in the world of marathon
A Life Inspiration / / December 19, 2019
For more than 30 years in the London marathon runs. This sports festival every spring brings together thousands of runners from all over Britain.
April 22, 2012 London Marathon has collected more than 36 thousand participants, and one of them deserves a special story. The name of the athlete - Claire Lomas. It started with all but finished the race length of 42 km of 195 meters just 17 days later. Why? Claire Lomas - the world's first man to break the marathon with the help of the exoskeleton.
Rider
Claire Lomas (Claire Lomas) was born April 28, 1980 in the English county of Leicestershire (Leicestershire, United Kingdom). Her whole life was devoted to horses - the girl is professionally engaged in horseback riding.
It was not until May 2007. That spring, Claire decided to take part in international competitions - Osberton International Horse Trials. She was preparing to speak in eventing (Dressage 4 *), but during the warm-up was a tragedy.
The horse suffered - rider crashed into a tree and fell. The fall proved fatal.
I was shocked. But I knew immediately what had happened. A healthy person does not know what it means to be paralyzed, but when it happens to you, you know it immediately.
Falling, Claire broke her ribs and neck. First triggered pneumonia, and the second - paralysis from the chest to the toes. From the saddle she has got to resuscitation.
At the hospital, Lomas spent 8 weeks. It is terribly short time for this type of injury. But Claire realized that a simple medical and physiological rehabilitation it will not save, so do not go crazy and do not despair, you need something more.
She was discharged from the hospital and began to think, how to live. Most of all it bothered by two things: how to say goodbye to the sport, which was the meaning of her life, and if she could have children.
Loss of ability to walk - it's more than just the inability to move. For me it meant that I would not be able to survive the most important thing in life - a meeting with the person who you love.
This meeting took place in the life of Claire on one of the dating sites, where she met her future husband Dan. She immediately told him that a severe disability, as we understand that healthy people do not always imagine the difficulties faced by people with disabilities. Paralysis - it's not just the inability to walk, but also problems with the intestines, bladder, etc. Dan was not afraid of anything. In spring 2011 the couple had a daughter, Macy.
Marathon
After marriage and the birth of a child, Claire no longer sought no excuses. That is why in 2012 she decided to take part in the London Marathon.
To do this, it used the so-called bionic suit - ReWalk exoskeleton. It is a robotic suit that allows paralyzed person to adopt an upright position and move. Exoskeleton ReWalk consists of special plates, sensors, control panel, crutches to maintain equilibrium and backpack into which the "brain" and board construction.
Claire Lomas was the first Briton, an example of this bionic suit. Thanks to him, every day, she overcame 2.5 km on the way from the start to the finish line.
To conquer a marathon it took 17 days. Lomas has not received a medal from the organizers of the competition, because according to the rules you need to run a marathon in 24 hours.
Claire Lomas had just 14 medals! She gave them to other members of the race - as a sign of admiration.
It meant so much to me. Even more than getting their own coin.
"Belated" finish Claire made in the UK created a furor. We cherished features of her guard of honor greeted the British Cavalry of the Royal Guard, hundreds of Londoners took to the streets to express their respect for it.
Bike Ride
People who are not looking for no excusesThey never rest on their laurels. That is why the spring of 2013 Claire Lomas again setting a sports record.
She went to the 644-mile bike ride across England. For it has been designed a special bike with electric drive and manual control.
"What is all this?" - you ask. Why would she all of these events, the Olympic Movement (Claire has also participated in the ceremony to light the flame of the London Paralympic Games), cycling? All this for one purpose - to raise funds for research and treatment of spinal cord injuries.
I hope that one day it will be possible. Scientists are optimistic. And I believe that one day they will learn how to return the movement paralyzed people.
Currently, Claire Lomas was awarded a number of prestigious awards, including the title of the most inspiring women of Great Britain. She brings up her daughter, continues to engage in sports, as well as public speaking. Her life has inspired thousands of people do not seek no excuses.