A charity campaigner who completed a marathon in a bionic suit after being paralysed in a horse riding accident has died aged 44.
Claire Lomas, who raised almost £1m competing in events across the country, died following an accident in Jordan on August 22, her family said.
In a declaration In a letter to the Melton Times, they said: “We are absolutely devastated by the loss of Claire. We ask people to respect our privacy over the coming days to allow us to grieve the loss in peace.”
Lomas, who lived in Melton, Leicestershire, began raising money for charity after an accident at the Osberton horse trials in Nottinghamshire in 2007 left her paralysed from the chest down. Her horse threw her to the ground while she was competing, breaking her neck, back and ribs and puncturing a lung.
She made headlines for running the 2012 London Marathon in 17 days in a bionic suit. That same year she was chosen to light the Paralympic cauldron in Trafalgar Sq. in front of David Cameron and Boris Johnson, who were Prime Minister and Mayor of London at the time.
In 2016, she took part in the Nice North Run while pregnant, again wearing her bionic suit. It took her five days to complete. She joined the half marathon after being refused a place in the Vitality London 10k. Organisers said this was because her bionic suit would have given her an unfair advantage and added that they were bound by the rules of World Athletics, which recognised the event.
In 2017, she was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the New Year Honours for her charitable and voluntary services to spinal injury research. Later that year, she conquered her “toughest challenge to date” after walking the 10-mile Nice South Run in 24 hours.
She was married to Dan Spincer, with whom she had two daughters, born in 2011 and 2017.
Tara Stewart, chair of the charity Spinal Analysis, said: “We are deeply shocked and saddened to hear of Claire’s death.
“She was a great supporter of our cause and other spinal injury charities, and a role model for the entire community. This is a devastating loss and our thoughts are with her family.”
One of her recipients, the Nicholls Spinal Harm Foundation, said Lomas was “fantastic.”
“She was a true advocate for paralyzed people and an exceptional motivational speaker,” a spokesman said.
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“She had a special way of using her own story to change people’s minds and make them focus on the positive. We feel very lucky and proud to have Claire as one of our patrons and supporters.”
Tim Webster, Mayor of Melton, said: “Her enthusiasm and passion for this cause helped change the lives of many people who had suffered spinal injuries, and she will be greatly missed. Our deepest condolences to her family and friends at this sad time.”
The Melton Times said Lomas’ family had asked it to “advise other media outlets not to contact them until further notice.”
The Foreign Ministry added that it had supported the family of a woman who died in Jordan.
