19-year-old Lloyd Martin has become the youngest person ever to finish the London Marathon with Down Syndrome.
Receiving a Guinness World Records plaque at the finishing line, Martin says it’s a dream come true, and celebrated the 26.4 miles with some pretty fly dance moves for someone with impaired motor function.
He ran continuously for the first 14 miles—a personal best—before switching to bouts of walking and jogging.
“In Lloyd’s words, it’s achieving his dream,” said his mom, Ceri Hooper. “Really anything is possible if you put your mind to it. With a bit of work, you can achieve it.”
Hooper represented Wales internationally in track and field competitions, and ensured that her son Lloyd had all the training and motivation he needed when he set his mind on the task of a marathon.
He had developed his strength and stamina mainly through 5k races.
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She herself has run six marathons in her life: 4x in London, the Boston Marathon, and the Chicago edition.
The Special Olympics organization for Great Britain helped Lloyd get everything prepared for the race, where he became the youngest person ever to finish in the intellectual impairment category.
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