---
title: "Athlete with paralysis finishes marathon in 36 hours"
published: 2018-04-26
updated: 2026-08-04
category: "Corredores que inspiran"
source: "https://dev-abp.massivoai.com/en/articles/atleta-con-paralisis-termina-maraton-en-36-horas"
---

# Athlete with paralysis finishes marathon in 36 hours

**Finishing a marathon is an achievement in itself, but doing so after more than 36 hours and being paralyzed from the hips down has its additional merits. That's what Simon Kindleysides did last Sunday at the London Marathon, finally completing it at a pace of 51:54 per kilometer.**

We all have our stories of suffering and joy, injuries, good days, not-so-good days, and we carry throughout those 42.195 kilometers all the weight of the sacrifices we made to get there and achieve our goal. All that baggage of experiences is, in part, what finally makes crossing the finish line so satisfying, sometimes with tears in our eyes and almost always with blood on our feet.

British Simon Kindleysides was diagnosed in 2013 with a brain tumor and a functional neurological disease that left him paralyzed from the hips down. Father of three children and currently 34 years old, Simon set out to finish the London Marathon in his campaign to help an organization that works with people suffering from brain tumors.

He did it thanks to a ReWalk exoskeleton suit powered by batteries that moves his knee and hip when it detects a change in Simon's center of gravity, taking a step forward. That and his two inseparable crutches with which he sustained himself for 36 and a half hours. "I'm in a lot of pain. It's taken everything out of me and I don't know how it will affect me physically going forward," an exhausted Simon told the press. Although he had logistical support from the organizers, in the end Simon did not receive an official finisher's medal as he finished outside the event's time limit. However, he did receive many medals from people who saw his achievement and wanted to give him theirs.

> History made:[@simonsmarathon](https://twitter.com/simonsmarathon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)finishes[#LondonMarathon18](https://twitter.com/hashtag/LondonMarathon18?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)the first paralysed man to walk it. He crossed the line after 36 hours of walking.[pic.twitter.com/WuFxDFHRbi](https://t.co/WuFxDFHRbi)
>
> — Simon Dedman (@SiDedman)[April 23, 2018](https://twitter.com/SiDedman/status/988546064801325057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

"I just wanted to prove that anything is possible if you set your mind to it," Simon said after finishing the marathon. "You can stay in bed and feel sorry for yourself, or you can get out and enjoy your life, because you're only here once," concluded the British runner, who back in 2015 had cycled from London to Paris in a wheelchair also to raise funds. We should all remember these words on those days when we doubt our ability to achieve our goals, or those days when we complain about everything and want to give up. "You can stay in bed and feel sorry for yourself, or..."

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