Donations made in the memory of London marathon runner Matt Campbell have exceeded £100,000.
Campbell, a 2017 Masterchef semi-finalist, died on Sunday after collapsing shortly before the end of the London marathon race. He was running in memory of his late father and hoped to raise £2,500 for the Cumbria-based Brathay trust.
He collapsed at the 22.5 mile mark and died later on Sunday evening – the cause of which is still unknown. Thousands of people have now pledged to “finish” the race in Campbell’s honour, each donating an extra £5 to his cause via the Facebook page “Finish for Matt”.
Total donations to the cause have surpassed Campbell’s goal by more than 3,600% through more than 6,900 separate donors.
Campbell appeared on the BBC’s Masterchef: The Professionals in December 2017, where he reached the semi-finals.
He began his career working in Michelin-starred restaurants after taking second place in the BBC’s Young Chef of the Year in 2009.
This year’s London Marathon was the hottest on records, with temperatures reaching 24C, according to the Met Office. However, participants were warned it could have been even hotter because of the heat absorbed by the roads and other competitors.
Despite the hot weather, 40,000 runners turned out to run the race.
The cause of Campbell’s death remains unknown, and will be established following the results of an autopsy.
