A former Army corporal is set to become the first triple amputee to complete the London Marathon, aiming to demonstrate that individuals with disabilities or injuries can achieve remarkable feats with the right mindset and support network.
Andy Reid's Inspiring Journey
Andy Reid, 49, from St Helens in Merseyside, lost both legs and his right arm after stepping on an improvised explosive device (IED) while patrolling with the 3rd Battalion, the Yorkshire Regiment in Afghanistan in 2009. He expects the 26.2-mile challenge to take him between 12 and 13 hours, requiring approximately 80,000 steps.
Reid will walk the route on Sunday in honour of seven members of his regiment who lost their lives. He stated, "I'm still here despite my injury, so I've got to make the most of life."
Training and Motivation
Reid began his training on New Year's Day with a four-mile walk and has continued walking twice a week since then. He previously climbed Kilimanjaro a couple of years ago, which taught him the mental strength needed for such challenges. "I know what kind of mental strength these things take when it gets a bit tough, where you've got to dig in," he said. "I'm doing it to hopefully inspire some other disabled people and because some of my friends didn't come home from Afghanistan."
He hopes the crowd and atmosphere on race day will help him complete the marathon faster than his training walks, which he described as "walking round and round in circles or up and down the local bypass."
Support and Fundraising
Reid's wife and representatives from the Army Benevolent Fund (ABF), which supported him after his injury, will be cheering him on. Near the finish line, he plans to pay his respects at the Iraq and Afghanistan memorial in Victoria Gardens.
Reflecting on the anticipated finish, Reid said, "It'll be one of relief, really, and obviously accomplishment. I will sit and reflect afterwards when I get back to the apartment and think wow, that was amazing."
He is raising money for the ABF and his own charity, the Standing Tall Foundation, which provides mental health counselling, addiction support, housing, and welfare assistance to veterans and communities in his hometown.
