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Thousands Vow To Finish London Marathon To Honour MasterChef Star

Thousands Vow To Finish London Marathon To Honour MasterChef Star

Matt Campbell, 29, tragically died during Sunday's London Marathon in memory of his dad and now a campaign, Finish For Matt, has been set up

Rebecca Shepherd

Rebecca Shepherd

We all read the tragic news yesterday about MasterChef star Matt Campbell, who died 3.7 miles short of finishing the London Marathon.

Now, thousands of people have pledged to complete those final few miles in order to honour the talented chef.

The Facebook page, Finish For Matt, asks people to run the distance on Saturday, wherever in the country they are, as a 'small gesture of solidarity' and give a £5 'entry fee' to Matt's JustGiving page.

More than £112,000 ($156,500) has been donated so far to the charity that the 29-year-old was running for.

The MasterChef semi-finalist, from Kendal in Cumbria, initially hoped to raise £2,500 ($3,500) for the Cumbria-based Brathay Trust, which tries to improve the life chances of children and young people.

Tragically, Matt was running the London Marathon in memory of his father, Martin Campbell, who died suddenly 18 months ago and worked 'tirelessly' for the trust.

Matt with his dad.
JustGiving

Matt Dorber, 33, is the man responsible for the #FinishforMatt campaign, which looks to bring London Marathon runners together in remembrance.

Writing on the Facebook group, runner Matt Dorber, said: "40,000 people took part in this years London Marathon, the hottest on record.

"We all put in some serious training, dedication and hard work to get over that finish line.

"The news came out today that Matt Campbell, 29, from the Lake District, collapsed at the 22.5 mile mark and passed away later in hospital. Matt was running for the Brathay Trust.

Instagram/mattsoire

"I'd like to think that as a group of 3.8k people on here, we've all given each other support over the last few months, and a small gesture of solidarity would be to 'finish' the run for Matt.

"It may be in London, Somerset, Manchester - where ever you are - but if as many people can do a 3.7m run on Strava on Saturday, and give a £5 'entry fee' to Matt's justgiving page, I think that'd be a nice gesture from us as a group."

More than 4,000 people have now signed up to the Facebook page, pledging to run the remaining distance.

Matt Dorber, from Somerset, told the Mirror: "It was devastating to hear the news of Matt [Campbell].

"It was so sad to see. When I saw the news, it was a realisation really - it could've happened to any one of us. It was a very hot day and it was tough.

Instagram/mattsoire

"We just want to do something in Matt's memory. Obviously, nothing is going to bring him back, but if we can do those last 3.7 miles with him, in his name, it would be a nice thing.

"We all ran the marathon together. So we think we should finish for Matt - and if we can raise a little more money doing it, great."

The BBC star collapsed at the 22.5 mile mark of Sunday's race and after receiving emergency medical attention, later died in hospital.

This wasn't the first marathon he had completed either, Matt had run in Manchester just two weeks ago, on 8 April, with a personal best of two hours 56 minutes.

Taking to Instagram following the Manchester Marathon, Matt wrote a bittersweet message saying: "Amazing day @manchestermarathon perfect conditions, great support.

"Thank you SO much to everyone who has sponsored me, my dad and @brathaychallenges

"I am loving life right now, saying yes to every challenge. Thank you to my friends and family for always supporting me and giving me the confidence to just go for it.

Instagram/mattsoire

"Running has been amazing for me over the past two years, considering I only ran my first marathon 20 months ago, it's helped me through grief, helped me de-stress, helped me process information after a long day and helped me menu plan!

"To anybody considering even entering a 5K this year I say go for it. Life happens outdoors.

"Onto @londonmarathon in 2 weeks time!"

Instagram/mattsoire

Hundreds of social media tributes have been paid to the chef, described as 'lovely and kind-hearted' by family and friends, as reported by the BBC.

Promises of support, donations and heartfelt messages started flooding in - including from celebrity chefs.


One well-wisher, who donated today, wrote: "So sad you are gone. This is for the distance to finish. Love to your family and friends."

Another added: "An inspiring young man. Along with millions I thoroughly enjoyed watching his genius on MasterChef. His family must be very proud."

Featured Image Credit: Masterchef/Instagram/mattsoire

Topics: UK News, TV and Film, Celebrity, News, BBC, Chef, Inspirational, UK