Meet the Glasgow woman who made history at London Marathon

Dr Julie McElroy, who has cerebral palsy, has become the first female frame runner to complete the Marathon.

The 38-year-old was introduced to frame running around three years ago after suffering a traumatic injury (A frame runner is a three-wheeled frame where the athlete is supported by a saddle and body plate and uses their feet to pedal). 

Now, after completing the marathon in five hours and 59 minutes on Sunday, Dr McElroy said the accomplishment was a “huge privilege” and a “massive challenge”.

She said: “It was a surreal experience and I feel like I’ve been in a dream for the last few weeks training for it.

“I was on the saddle for nearly six hours (on Sunday) and it was probably the longest time I’ve spent on my frame.

“The day came and I was relaxed, I wasn’t nervous, I was quite composed going into it.

“I knew I had the mental capacity, but it was the physical because you never know how your body is going to react.”

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She added that she was “quite worried” she wouldn’t cross the finish line and that the toughest part of the marathon was around the 16-mile mark, just over the halfway point.

She said: “The hardest part was when I got to 16 mile mark, some people told me that’s the hardest part, because it did get quite tiring.

“That’s where I struggled most so my support runner Gill Menzies topped me up with more energy, like sweeties and jelly babies, to keep me going.”

Dr McElroy now hopes her challenge will inspire others with disabilities to take up frame running.

“I hope people will get out there and get involved in sports – try frame running, it’s a fantastic sport and I’ve seen the benefits it’s had on me over the last few years," she said. 

She added: “Six years ago, I had a serious traumatic injury and I never thought I would be running the London Marathon.”

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Gill Menzies, 51, added: “Julie was pretty exhausted for the second half and it was a case of using every mental tactic because I was desperate for her to finish in under six hours, and we made it with 29 seconds grace.

“Her frame is wider than a normal runner so the risk of her running over people or people tripping into the frame is quite real.

“I ran a metre or so in front of her turning my head every few seconds to check if she was okay.

“I really hope Julie running the London Marathon raises the profile of frame running for disabled runners and what’s actually possible.”

Dr McElroy has been raising funds for the Richard Whitehead Foundation, which was founded by British athlete Richard Whitehead MBE who runs with prosthetic legs.

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