First paralysed man to complete the London Marathon on foot crosses finish line...but doesn't get a medal

The first paralysed man to complete the London Marathon on foot has cross the finish line, but has been denied a medal because he completed the race a day late. 

Simon Kindleysides set off at 10am on Sunday alongside thousands of other racers and finished at 10:46pm on Monday - the last person to cross the line. 

The 34-year-old, a father of three from Blofield, was diagnosed with functional neurological disorder and a glioma brain tumour in 2013, which left him paralysed from the waist down.

He walked the 26.2-mile marathon course using a ReWalk exoskeleton suit.

But because Mr Kindleysides did not finished the race on Sunday, he has been refused an official medal.

He has been donated some medals from well-wishers and has also been awarded the Spirit of London award, which the London Marathon gives to participants who "encapsulated the unique spirit" of the race. He is the first finisher from this year's race to be given the award.

Mr Kindleysides joins the likes of former boxer Michael Watson, the biggest individual fundraiser Rev Steve Chalke and Fajau Singh, the oldest person to finish the event, who have won the award in the past.

The London Marathon said that they had worked closely with Mr Kindleysides in planning his walk and supporting his logistics team.

Mr Kindleysides was raising money for The Brain Tumour Charity and at the time of writing has raised £8,630.04, just short of his goal of £10,000.

The exoskeleton suit features light, battery-powered motors at the hip and knee joint. It senses subtle changes in its user’s centre of gravity, meaning that leaning forward causes the suit to take a step forward.   

After the race Mr Kindleysides said: “I am in a lot of pain. It has taken it out of me and I don’t know how it is going to affect me physically afterwards.

“I hadn’t walked 26 miles in my life when I was able bodied, so that is a massive achievement in itself.

“The support has just been overwhelming and like a dream come true. It is incredible because I didn’t expect it to be as big as it was."

Mr Kindleysides' partner, Jenna, walked six miles alongside him.

It is not the first time Mr Kindleysides has overcome his disability for charity. In 2015 he hand-cycled from London to Paris raising £5,000 in the process.  

He added: “I just wanted to show that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. You can stay in bed and feel sorry for yourself or get out and enjoy your life, because you are only here once.”