Paralyzed Soldier Completes London Marathon for Charity

Major Phil Packer, a British soldier, lost the use of his legs in the war in Iraq. But that didn't stop him from completing the 26.2-mile London Marathon.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on May 14 2009

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Major Phil Packer wasn’t exactly the fastest participant in the London Marathon, closing in on the finish line nearly two weeks after the race’s official end date. But in many ways, the British soldier was the true winner.

While serving in Iraq, Major Packer was injured by a rocket attack, and lost the use of both of his legs. Doctors told him that he would never walk again. But it didn’t take long for the brave soldier to prove them wrong. After undergoing months of strenuous physical therapy, Major Packer got back on his feet with the aid of a pair of crutches, and decided to use them for a great cause: He vowed to walk the entire 26.2 mile length of the London Marathon to raise money for Help for Heroes, a nonprofit organization that provides aid to disabled servicemen.

My injury is not a disability to me any more. It’s all about what I can do, not about what I can’t do. That feeling is very strong.

Major Packer had been medically advised to walk no more than two miles each day, so the race took him a little while longer to finish than most—but when he closed in on the finish line at noon on Saturday, a crowd of well-wishers and fellow soldiers crowded around to congratulate him.

Major Packer’s marathon race has also proved to be a wonderful fundraising effort for his charity of choice. So far, he’s raised more than 630,000 British pounds ($1.25 million) for Help for Heroes through his website, philpacker.com, and hopes to present the charity with a grand total of one million pounds by July 1st.

Next up, he’s planning a rock climbing expedition, and pledges to do 4,000 pull-ups to continue his fundraising efforts. We’re betting a spot at the Paralympic Games is well within his reach, too.

“The greatest realization I’ve had doing the marathon is that regardless of what happens to you in life, there are still major goals you can set yourself, and major achievements to be made,” www.philpacker.com.

Filed under: Heroes, Non-Profits,

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