Two weeks after the Manchester Marathon it was yet again time for the London Marathon. I remember from running last year how brilliant the crowd support was on route and I wanted to be part of the crowd this year. I had a number of friends running and was keen to cheer them on.
The 2018 London Marathon was the hottest on record, with temperatures over 20 degrees, not ideal conditions for marathon running. Tom and I set ourselves up between miles 23 and 24, as from experience this is when crowd support can make a huge difference. We were warm as spectators, so I can only imagine how hot the runners must have felt.
We saw lots of experienced runners clearly struggling in the heat, some looking quite unwell. I brought along lots of satsumas to give out in segments, which were gratefully received by many runners. I was tracking a number of people I knew running the race, however as there were 40,000 people running, it was quite difficult to pick people out. I did manage to see my friend from Ireland, Katie who ran over for a hug and some satsumas before going on her way. Katie is an experienced marathoner and looked to be enjoying the race.
We cheered people on for just over two hours before making our way home, it was inspiring to see people persevering in such difficult conditions and I was very proud of all my friends who ran. I did notice how many runners looked unwell from the heat and worried that many would end up in hospital, it was extremely sad to hear that there had been a fatality. Tragically Matt Campbell a 29 year old chef (who was on Masterchef) collapsed at mile 22.5 and sadly passed away. Matt had run Manchester Marathon two weeks previously and had run other marathons before that. The running community was deeply affected by Matt’s death and a social media campaign called #FinishforMatt was created for him. Runners from around the world ran the final 3.7 miles for Matt and donated to his Just Giving page, raising money for the Brathay Trust.
I donated to the trust and ran my own 3.7 miles a few days after the marathon where I had time to reflect on what happened. I also joined a big group run (arranged on social media) on Sunday morning (one week following the marathon) where hundreds of us completed the final 3.7 miles of the London Marathon route. It was wonderful to see so many runners out there to remember Matt and the sense of community between everyone was brilliant. We all clapped and high-fived as we ran down the Mall and pictures of this were printed in the press. I will never forget the feeling of community that day and the realisation of how lucky we are to run another day.
Matt’s Just Giving page has now raised over £340,000 and the figure continues to rise. How poignant that out of something so tragic, something very powerful has emerged. Matt will be remembered, his legacy living on in the people who love him and in the Brathay Trust.
You can donate to Matt’s Just Giving page using the following link:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mattcampbell-londonmarathon
Katie Rose Runs 