Marathon Major takes Canary Wharf in his stride

By Simon Hayes on May 6, 2009 10:08 AM |

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His story has captured the imagination of the country and yesterday the "Marathon Major" was in Canary Wharf as he strode towards his million pound charity target.

Major Phil Packer is taking part in the London Marathon despite being told he would never walk again after sustaining severe injuries after being caught up in a rocket attack in Basra last February.

The 36-year-old former Military Policeman is covering two miles a day on crutches and should finish in The Mall on Saturday. His aim is to raise £1million for the Help for Heroes charity and by yesterday he was over halfway there, racking up an impressive £540,000 in donations.

He admitted he was finding both the physical and mental aspects of the challenge difficult.

He said: "It's hard. I hadn't walked two miles before Sunday so I didn't expect the toll it's taking on me. I've got back pain and the muscles in my legs have not been used to doing any work so are overcompensating, which is also painful.

"But the hardest thing has been the emotional toll. I'm not used to people I don't know coming up to me and giving me encouragement. I think there's a lot of goodwill for the armed forces and people are channelling that through me."

Despite the pain Phil is determined to complete the 26.2mile course by Saturday, and if they gave out medals for determination he would have a chest full.

He said: "Not finishing is not an option. There are so many people relying on the money I raise to help them, people much worse off than me.

"But it's not just about raising money. It's also about raising awareness and if I can help get the message across about the support injury victims receive then so much the better."

For more information or to make a contribution visit philpacker.com.