Paralympian David Wetherill breaks marathon record on crutches

A former Team GB Paralympian has broken the record for running a marathon on crutches in the fastest time.

David Wetherill, who played table tennis at three Paralympic Games, has used crutches every day since he was 10 due to having a bone condition called multiple epiphyseal dysplasia (MED).

Mr Wetherill, who lives in Plymouth but grew up in Torpoint, in Cornwall, completed the London Marathon on Sunday in 5:59:05, beating the previous record of 6:11:11.

He said beating the record, combined with raising money for charity, made it “one of the most beautiful days of my life”.

“It was unbelievable, honestly, probably the best achievement I’ve ever done”, he told John Acres at Breakfast on BBC Radio Devon.

“That sense of achievement is unparalleled it was incredible.”

Mr Wetherill said the aim of completing the race in under six hours was motivating him towards the end of the marathon.

“When I crossed the line I was a bit dazed,” he said.

“To beat it by 12 minutes in the end, obviously in the back of my mind that was driving me forward.

“The reason why we were doing this though was driving me much, much more.”

He added: “Yesterday was one of the most beautiful days of my life, if not the most beautiful.”

Mr Wetherill ran the marathon to raise money for type 1 diabetes charity Breakthrough T1D.

“I have unbelievable gratitude and thanks to everyone who has supported us,” he said.

“We have raised about £15,000 and that’s what it’s all about really and that has just blown us away.

“The time and getting to the finish line is just beyond what we could have ever dreamt.”