Injured ex-soldier completes London Marathon on crutches

A British soldier, who lost his legs in a rocket attack in Iraq last year, completed a marathon here after walking on crutches for two weeks.

Major Phil Packer was walking two miles a day on crutches since the marathon started on April 26, and was greeted by hundreds of well-wishers as he touched the finishing line on Saturday, the Daily Mail reported.

"There are others who are coming back injured (from Iraq and Afghanistan) and my thoughts are really with their families at the moment," Packer said.

The 36-year-old former soldier was told that he would never be able to walk again after he was injured in an attack in the southern Iraqi city of Basara in February 2008.

"I have walked 52,400 steps and somebody has walked with me every step of the way, be it a dinner lady, a London taxi driver or a Metropolitan Police officer," Packer said upon completing the London Marathon.

Packer, who has already undertaken several sporting challenges including rowing the English Channel in just over 15 hours, was presented with a medal by Olympic legend Sir Steve Redgrave.

He is now set to go on a rock climbing expedition as part of his fund-raising endeavours that have already raised one million pounds for a soldiers charity.