A fundraiser set up by a chef who collapsed and died 3.7 miles from the London Marathon finish line has raised more than £300,000, with nearly 13,000 people pledging to run the distance he failed to complete in his memory.
Matt Campbell, 29, from Kendal, collapsed at the 22.5-mile mark during last Sunday’s event, which took place in record 24.1C (73.3F) temperatures.
Campbell, who made it to the semi-finals of MasterChef: The Professionals last year, was running to raise a target of £2,500 for the Brathay Trust, which was where his father had worked before he died suddenly in 2016.
Contributions to the appeal started to soar minutes after the runner’s death was announced. By Sunday evening, more than £304,000 had been raised for the Cumbria-based youth charity on Campbell’s Just Giving page, with more than 24,000 individual donations.
More than 12,600 people have signed up so far for the “Finish for Matt” Facebook page, where they pledge to run the 3.7 miles Campbell was unable to finish and donate £5 to the fund. One of the group’s founders, Matt Dorber, said he set a new target for £400,000 by the end of Sunday.
People across the country have posted photographs of themselves on the campaign’s Facebook page after completing the 3.7 miles, which some chose to walk or run with family and friends.
Writing on Facebook on Saturday, Dorber said: “When myself, Martin Doyle and Helen Phillips first realised how big this whole thing was becoming, we set a target of £250,000. We thought it was a dream figure but something to aim towards. We did it!
“And that’s all of us – runners in 6 continents, 40 countries, 30 US States, absolutely everywhere in the UK … you’ve all been incredible! The circumstances we’ve all come together under are tragic, and we’ll never forget that - but I’m so proud of what we’re all achieving as a group. We’ve created something so special as a running community of 13,000+ members on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and beyond.”
The cause of Campbell’s death has yet been announced. The marathon was his second in two weeks, after he completed the Manchester race in just under three hours earlier this month.
Writing on his fundraising page before the London Marathon, Campbell said: “As many of you know, I lost my father Martin 18 months ago suddenly. The past year and a half have been the toughest of my life but his spirit and energy live on in me.
“He was the most inspirational man in my life and was the one who said: ‘Go on, why don’t you give it a go? I know you can do it!’ and entered me into my first marathon. It was maybe the proudest day of my life standing at the finish line having achieved something I never imagined possible with my dad and my brother by my side.”
On Wednesday, Theresa May paid tribute to the chef, who finished second on BBC Young Chef of the Year when he was 20. Speaking to MPs in parliament, the prime minister said: “I’m sure members across the house would want to join me in offering condolences to his family and friends.”