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Man who wouldn't walk again finishes marathon

cnn.com — British soldier Phil Packer was told a year ago that he would never walk again, but on Saturday he finished the London Marathon. He completed the race 13 days after it started, walking on crutches for two miles a day -- the most his doctor would allow -- in order to raise money for charity.

Who dugg this? Made popular May 10, 2009

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37 Comments

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  • Janinco, on 05/10/2009, -3/+38Beautiful, heartwarming story.
    Thanks for sharing.
  • inactive, on 05/10/2009, -2/+31What an amazing guy. He dedicates his life to protecting his country, and when he is injured, he helps raise money for other wounded vets.

    We need more people in the world like him.
  • gbudavid, on 05/10/2009, -1/+22Thank You For Your Service Phil and for your Example...
  • Praystation, on 05/10/2009, -0/+16He puts Chuck Norris to shame.
  • iDiggYa, on 05/10/2009, -1/+11Dedication and determination. Props to Mr. Packer.
  • guybrushThreep, on 05/10/2009, -0/+10I wish I had his determination.
  • induren, on 05/10/2009, -0/+9Awesome. Just awesome.
  • WasabiHound, on 05/10/2009, -1/+9Great story. Couldn't believe it when I first heard it on the news. Good job Mr Packer and thanks for sharing
  • mikewashere05, on 05/10/2009, -2/+9You're just 'not seeing the point.'
  • V3NOM, on 05/10/2009, -0/+6A recent issue of (I think it was) Runner's World had a cover story about a firefighter in New York who miraculously survived being sucked underneath a bus while biking to work. He bounced back against doctors' predictions and completed the NYC marathon last fall.

    It's stories like these two that really inspire and remind us what we are capable of -- what anyone can do if they really make up their minds. Bravo to them.
  • induren, on 05/10/2009, -0/+5I'm sure he did, and I'm sure he deserved it.
  • borez, on 05/10/2009, -0/+5I saw this on the evening news last night, what a man.
  • Chooxo, on 05/10/2009, -0/+5Over 13 days, you'd kinda hope so.
  • exgiexpcv, on 05/10/2009, -0/+5What an awesome human being!
  • cnot3, on 05/10/2009, -0/+5What's more, 13 days is still a lot faster than your average digger would take to run a marathon.
  • soggydave2113, on 05/11/2009, -0/+4I don't usually digg stories. I mostly just read them and sometimes comment. I definitely dugg this one.
  • joeykadlec, on 05/10/2009, -0/+4...he's not being serious..
  • orville1151, on 05/10/2009, -0/+4Well, maybe I'm not typical of digg people, but I broke into a sweat just reading about it.
  • hahanopants, on 05/10/2009, -2/+6not to be a douche, but yeah... you're kinda missing the point. He traveled a "marathon" distance in conjunction with a "marathon" race to raise money and awareness for charity. If he had been in a racing wheelchair, he would have finished faster than the runners. However, he did it on crutches without substanive use of his legs, so he took longer. Keep in mind that he is likely being treated by military doctors, and if they limit him to 2 miles a day, it's an order. He worked within constraints to achieve something he held to be worthwhile.
    Parker describes on his Web site: "From the original prognosis that I would never walk again, my injuries are improving to such an extent that I will be attempting to walk the 2009 Flora London Marathon. On Saturday 26th April, I will be joining 36,000 other competitors to complete the 26.2m circuit starting at Blackheath, South West London and finishing at St James’s Park on The Mall on Saturday 9th May. My attempt will take two weeks, walking the maximum I have been medically advised; just under two miles every day."
    Try not to lose the forrest for the trees here, mate. Cheers!
  • moose26, on 05/11/2009, -0/+3Que "We Are Champions" theme music, but have it redone to be,.."I Am A Champion".
  • Nollie2, on 05/10/2009, -0/+3This man truly amazes me. Next time I feel like complaining about the little things, it may be a better idea just to realise how lucky so many of us are.

    http://www.justgiving.com/philsmillion - If you'd also like to donate (they accept PayPal)
  • Djerrid, on 05/11/2009, -0/+2Only took him 13 days? That isn't even close to breaking the record - 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 8 hours, 32 minutes and 20.3 seconds - and that was an Olympic marathon, no less.
    http://digg.com/d1qfBC
  • BigBrasky, on 05/10/2009, -1/+3I am. Have you ever had crutches? Those things get pretty uncomfortable.
  • JollyMunchkin, on 05/10/2009, -0/+2Good thing I read the article, because the headline made me think it was about a lazy guy being forced to run a marathon.
  • V3NOM, on 05/10/2009, -0/+1No it's not.
  • inactive, on 05/18/2009, -0/+1the human spirit is an incredible thing when positively motivated... this guy's story brings tears to my eyes
  • psykiv, on 05/10/2009, -0/+1Too bad there's no central website that all marathons report your time to.
  • Digg32539, on 05/11/2009, -0/+1At first I thought it was a Monty Python skit, but this is better!
  • orville1151, on 05/10/2009, -0/+1Funny observation.
    Should have been "the man who couldn't walk...", or "the man doctors said would never walk..."
    After you read the article, you do understand the digg headline, but still, for clarity's sake.

    A very inspiring story, in any case.
  • joeykadlec, on 05/10/2009, -2/+2i did appreciate all of that, please read my full comment. all i am saying is that it is a little misleading and he did not complete a true marathon.
  • theword12, on 05/10/2009, -3/+3Incredible story for an incredible man. But I have to wonder, did he camp out for the whole 13 days? Or did someone take him home and then take him back to the same spot the next day?
  • psykiv, on 05/10/2009, -4/+4Not the first time I've seen a guy on crutches do a marathon...
    Although, this is pretty crazy.
  • joeykadlec, on 05/10/2009, -10/+10this is an amazing story and this guy is quite an inspiration, seriously... but lets actually read the story here. ...
    He did NOT run a marathon, (per se) he did 2 miles a day on crutches for 13 days straight, not easy i imagine, but no marathon. A marathon is running 26.2 miles in one effort. i'm sure tons of ppl on crutches evetually went 26.2 miles on their crutches, yet never once stated they 'ran a marathon'.

    does anyone else see where i'm coming from or am i just 'not seeing the point'.
  • CoD4, on 05/10/2009, -6/+2Not to be a douche or anything, but did he not take food breaks?
  • icyguyus, on 05/10/2009, -6/+1Poor Little Tink Tink
  • dinglebutt, on 05/10/2009, -10/+2so easy a cripple could do it
  • inactive, on 05/10/2009, -17/+3He did it on crutches. I'm not impressed.

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