Advertisement

Male runner dies after collapsing during London Marathon

Runners compete in the London Marathon - Male runner dies after collapsing during London Marathon - ACTION IMAGES
Runners compete in the London Marathon - Male runner dies after collapsing during London Marathon - ACTION IMAGES

A man who collapsed around three miles from the finish of Sunday's London Marathon has died, event organisers have confirmed.

The 36-year-old runner, who was from south-east England, collapsed between mile 23 and 24 of the 26.2 mile course, which is a part of the route that takes in the area between Monument and Blackfriars in central London.

He is the 13th runner to have died in the London Marathon, an event that began in 1981 and which more than one million people have since completed.

“With deep sadness, we confirm the death of a participant in the 2022 TCS London Marathon,” said a statement from the event organisers.

The man had received immediate medical treatment following his collapse, and an ambulance arrived within three minutes, but he later died later in hospital.

“Everyone involved in the organisation of the London Marathon would like to express sincere condolences to his family and friends,” said the organisers' statement. “The family has requested privacy and no further details will be released in accordance with their wishes.

“The cause of death will be established later through medical examination.”

More than 40,000 runners took part in Sunday's marathon which covered a route between Greenwich Park to the Mall near Buckingham Palace via London landmarks which include the Cutty Sark and Tower Bridge.

Kenya's Amos Kipruto won the elite men's title in 2:04:38 on his debut while Ethiopia's 23-year-old Yalemzerf Yehualaw became the youngest ever female winner in a time of 2:17:25.

A runner also died during the event in 2018, which, for the last three years, has taken place in October due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Around £70 million was raised for charity this yeat and the race will return to its traditional spring slot in 2023, taking place in just over six months on April 23.

Previous studies have calculated the risk of sudden cardiac death during or immediately after a marathon at between 0.6 and 1.9 deaths per 100,000 participants.

A second significant risk can arise from imbalanced fluid or electrolyte levels, particularly hyponatremia.