Brain injury survivor dressed in 8kg costume raises £15k for charity at London Marathon

A brain injury survivor has shared his pride at crossing the finish line at this year’s London Marathon –  a bucket list race he thought he may never be able to run.

Alex Paget of Hazelbourne Road in Clapham, took on Sunday’s marathon dressed in a giant homemade brain costume to raise awareness of brain injury and Post-concussion syndrome (PCS), a condition he lives with.

The 30-year-old insurance analyst raised more than £15,000 for Headway – a brain injury charity which provides support, services and information to brain injury survivors.

Mr Paget’s bright pink costume – made of PVC pipes, cardboard, expanding foam and fabric – added an additional 8kg to his race.

Despite the additional weight and with temperatures reaching a toasty 22 degrees on race day, Mr Paget crossed the finish line in four hours and 17 minutes.

He said: “Sunday was great fun – it was very painful and tough. I underestimated the impact of running with the weight of the costume.

“The run was going as planned until the Isle of Dogs where I was no longer able to keep up the pace and then it was just a case of finishing.

“But I am really happy with how it went!”

Avid runner Mr Paget lives with PCS, a debilitating continuation of concussion symptoms, following an accident on his bike nearly four years ago while taking part in an Ironman challenge in France.  

The accident occurred 90 miles into the cycling part of the long-distance race – which includes swimming 2.4 miles, cycling 112 miles and running 26.2 miles.

He still struggles with fatigue, headaches and cognitive issues, and faced several flare ups in the weeks leading up to the marathon.

He said: “Even turning up to the start line was an achievement, let alone getting round the route.

“The support was incredible. Not a second went by where I couldn’t hear people shouting my name.

“Each time I slowed down the support got louder – that helped massively.” 

Mr Paget said crossing the finish line left him feeling “so many different emotions”. 

He said: “I felt emotional, excited, happy, and proud to have done it – to have come far enough to be able to do it.

“Thank you so much to everyone who has donated and supported me throughout.

“Headway was there for me throughout my recovery, and I want people to know about the charity and what they can offer in a way of support.”

Holly Howey, events manager at Headway, said the charity was “unbelievably proud” of Mr Paget.

She said: “A marathon is no mean feat and Alex not only achieved it but did so with the added weight of his amazing costume.

“We can’t thank all our runners enough for their efforts. Every penny they have raised goes towards helping survivors and their loved ones navigate life after brain injury.”

To donate to Alex’s fundraiser for Headway, visit: www.justgiving.com/page/londonmarathonbrain  

Pictured top: Alex Paget took part in Sundays London Marathon dressed as a giant pink brain (Picture: Alex Paget)