🥇 Our new hero

👆 Meet Cerri Hooper and her son, Lloyd Martin, who successfully completed the London Marathon earlier this year. 

Lloyd has Down syndrome. And as he jogged over the finish line at mile 26, he was handed the Guinness World Record for the youngest person to complete a marathon in the intellectual impairment category (LL2).

• "In Lloyd's words," shared Cerri of her son's accomplishment, "it's achieving his dream."

But the path to getting there wasn't easy.

Lloyd only started training five months before the big day, which, even for neurotypical people, is not a lot of time. 

• The determined 19-year-old is an accomplished Special Olympics athlete in football and gymnastics, but running is new for him. Lloyd ran nearly every day during his training period, with one long-haul run weekly to get him used to rigorously being on his feet for multiple hours. 

Race day: Cerri guided Lloyd through the race, cheering him on and encouraging her son the whole way. 

• "We did not say a lot when we crossed the finish line," she said. "We just both burst into tears."

🏃‍♂️ Bottom line: Lloyd's run was an important achievement for people with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities. "It was absolutely amazing," shared Cerri. "He ran continuously for 14 miles [22.5km] which is the longest he's ever run before... really anything is possible if you put your mind to it. With a bit of work, you can achieve it."

+Editor's note: This story was originally published in The DONUT in August 2023. It was so sweet we had to share it again🥰.