Bravest of brave... rider paralysed in fall to walk marathon in a robot suit
A SPORTSWOMAN paralysed from the chest down in a freak horseriding accident will walk a marathon tomorrow in a hi-tech robotic suit.
It took mother-of-two Claire Lomas 17 gruelling days to complete her first long-distance race, the London Marathon in 2012.
The £50,000 suit she wore, designed by ReWalk Robotics, has since been improved.
So now six years on, after training three times a week in her new robosuit, she is determined to shave days off that time.
Miracle
Claire, 38, of Melton Mowbray, Leics, told the Daily Express yesterday: “I’m fitter and stronger than I was in 2012 and hoping I’ll be able to go faster.”
She says she is praying it will stay dry. Claire said: “If it just rains a bit the pavement can get greasy and with crutches it can become quite slippery.
“But it is Manchester so I’m expecting rain. I’ll just have to dig the waterproofs out.
“They make me look 30-stone and gorgeous. But I have to keep the suit dry – it’s not waterproof.”
Husband Dan, 43, and daughters
EXCLUSIVE
Maisie, seven, and one-year-old Chloe will be cheering her on every step of the way.
Claire lost the use of her legs 11 years ago at the Osberton Horse Trials in Worksop, Notts.
Her horse Rolled Oats clipped his shoulder on a tree throwing Claire into it, fracturing her neck, back and ribs, and damaging her spinal cord.
She suffered a punctured lung and needed a tracheotomy to help her breathe.
Surgeons put titanium rods in her back to try to fix her spine but could not repair the damage.
After 10 days in intensive care, she was told by doctors it was highly unlikely she would ever walk again and was a paraplegic.
Claire said: “I’ve got two daughters. That felt like a miracle really. Everything else didn’t work yet I could grow two little girls.”
She has raised £620,000 for spinal injuries research and has been awarded an MBE for her efforts. She hopes another £20,000 tomorrow. to raise