Major Phil Packer, a paraplegic soldier who won the hearts and minds of a nations as he completed the London Marathon on crutches, was in Wimbledon last week. He told his inspirational story to BEN THOMPSON but insists he’s just a regular guy..
As Major Phil Packer waited for surgery, his parents were told he would never walk again. A rocket attack in Basra had left the 36-year-old soldier crippled; paralysed from the waste down, and in his words, with no control over his life.
Yet within months of the injury he began setting himself a series of challenges that would help him wrestle back control. From standing up for the first time, to scaling a 3,000ft vertical cliff face using just his arms, the military policeman has defied even his own expectations.
The national press picked up on Major Packer’s quest as he began perhaps the most audacious of his challenges - completing the London Marathon, two miles at a time, on crutches. Within weeks an seemingly insurmountable fundraising target of £1m was smashed as a nation was hooked on his inspirational story.
But sitting in the corner of a Wimbledon school’s swimming pool, supporting a small group of eight to 10-year-olds complete a swimathon for his chosen charity Help for Heroes, Major Packer tells me being cast as a hero has come as a real surprise, leading him to evaluate who he is and what he is trying to achieve.
“I’m just a regular guy in the Army getting on with what I do,” he says. “You don’t have massive contact with the public and then strangely your profile is raised by the media.
“Rather than the crowds applauding you during the marathon, I was going past schools where all the children would come out to greet me. "It was completely overwhelming.
“It just hit me that what I was doing was having an effect on people that I never expected. "I found that difficult emotionally and there were moments where I found it hugely upsetting.”
Major Packer’s journey began in Epsom at Headley Court, an armed forces’ rehabilitation centre. Surrounded by younger soldiers, many with injuries worse than his own, he decided to prove his worth to himself and others.
But this mission changed after a remarkable show of public support during his two-week marathon effort.
Within an hour of starting, thousands of other runners had streaked ahead and the roads were empty. But day by day support grew; cabbies started driving the fares past, insisting they make a donation, others walked with him, while five-time Olympic champion Steve Redgrave joined hundreds of former soldiers and members of the public to cheer him over the finish line.
“I hope that everyone can see that I’m doing this all out of sincerity. "I set out to do something that's morally right, raising money that would help injured servicemen, but as people began sharing their heartfelt thoughts, it changed.
He adds: “During the marathon I started to get young people with disabilities writing to me and it dawned that this was about much more than just raising money, but doing something to enthuse young people with disabilities.
“It went from a few people to tens of people, and then hundreds every single day.
“I’ve had some really dark days but there have always been a lot of people around me. "For young people with a disability who don’t have that support mechanism or life experience it must be an unimaginable struggle and I don’t want them to go through it alone.”
To find out more about Phil’s campaign or to make a donation visit philpacker.com
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