Michael Eaton finished the London Marathon on Sunday despite suffering from muscular dystrophy.

Michael, who is 39 years-old, completed the famous race in just under eight hours and raised over £800 for Muscular Dystrophy UK (MDUK).

Muscular Dystrophy is a muscular-degenerative disorder, for which there is no cure yet, that can lead to a loss of muscle mass and progressive weakness.

The Port St Mary man entered the ballot to win a chance to complete in the event but didn’t expect to get a place at the start line.

He said: ‘I was chuffed because I had always wanted to run and walk the distance and the London Marathon is my dream marathon to try and complete.

‘The day was amazing, and the support was fantastic even for us back of the pack runners.

‘I’m very sore now and will probably pay for it for another couple of days or so but it was totally worth it.’

Michael was diagnosed with Becker’s muscular dystrophy at the age of four or five.

In school, he was told not to take part in PE lessons and to avoid strenuous physical activity because of his condition.

He gained weight which made it difficult to walk short distances, so he started using a powered wheelchair.

Michael said: ‘As I got older, I did less and less physical activity.

‘By the time I was 34, I weighed over 21 stone, and I was struggling to walk more than a few hundred metres.

‘Things changed very quickly from then and by 2017 I had a powered wheelchair and barely walked at all outside of my home.’

But early the next year, Michael’s consultant said there was no reason why he should have had such a dramatic loss of strength.

He encouraged him to avoid using his wheelchair for short distances and to exercise more generally.

Gradually things started to improve.

Michael said: ‘After a year or so, I was able to walk unaided, I’d lost a few pounds and movement was much easier.

‘A friend suggested that I should try the couch to 5k training programme.

‘I dismissed it at first but eventually gave in and tried it.

‘It hurt so much, and I was so tired, but I later felt amazing.

‘I was so proud that I was able to run, after being told for years, I couldn’t do this.

Kiera Santry, senior challenge events officer at charity MDUK, said: ‘Michael’s journey to completing the London Marathon is truly inspirational.

‘We’re all blown away by his achievement and thrilled that he realised his dream of completing the course on foot.

‘We’re so grateful for his fundraising too as we continue our work we do supporting people living with muscle-wasting conditions without the help of fundraisers like Michael.’

Becker’s Muscular Dystrophy is a form of Muscular Dystrophy that is more common in men.

Michael said: ‘I’ve always followed Muscular Dystrophy UK (MDUK)’s research, especially into my specific condition given that it’s so rare and different for everyone.

‘Raising awareness about my condition and MDUK will hopefully help others believe that they don’t need to be limited by their diagnosis.’

MDUK help the 110,000 people living with over 60 rare and very rare muscle conditions.

l More island finishes from the London Marathon on page 41.