Ron Gibson, a paraplegic and Wheelchair Sports NSW member from Wentworthville in Sydney, was the first participant to cross the finish line in the 2010 Sun-Herald City2Surf in Sydney on Sunday 8th August.

Racing in his handcycle, Gibson started just behind the seeded runners and beat 85,000 participants to the finish line. The time he set fell just short of the course record set by Australian legend Steve Moneghetti in 1991.

"I'm over the moon at being able to compete at the City2Surf," said Gibson. "To be the first to cross the finish line is an amazing feeling. I've competed in marathons and fun runs throughout Asia, America and across Australia. It's nice to be a part of something this big in my own backyard."

Racing for Team ParaQuad NSW, Gibson was granted a special exemption by the organisers to start the race after the first gun. Although he would not be considered the official winner, his participation should pave the way for athletes with a disability to have their own race classification in the future.

Ron raced to raise money for ParaQuad NSW, the Paraplegic and Quadriplegic Association. So far, the team has raised over $18,000 with all proceeds going to the Primary Health Care Team. The Primary Health Care Team is the only service of its kind in NSW, and provides free spinal nursing, social work and occupational therapy services to all adults with an acquired spinal cord injury. The funds will help ParaQuad employ another Spinal Nurse, Occupational Therapist and/or Social Worker to manage the growing demand for these essential services for the spinal cord injured community.

For more information about ParaQuad visit www.paraquad.org.au.