A 45-year-old man passed away while returning home after completing Sunday’s London Marathon, Australian Sprinter, 16, Runs Record-Breaking 200m.
Steve Shanks, of Nottingham, tragically passed on his way home after competing in the race, after finishing with a time of 2:53:26. The cause of death was not immediately known.
“Everyone at London Marathon Events was deeply saddened to hear about the sudden death of Steve Shanks,” race organizers said in a statement.
His wife, Jessica, took to Facebook to announce the tragic news of her husband’s passing, calling it sudden and unexpected. “It’s with great sadness, that I wish to announce the loss of my wonderful husband, Stephen Shanks,” she wrote in the post. “His passing was sudden & out of the blue. He was returning home having spent the day participating in the London Marathon. As you can imagine I’m absolutely in shock & devastated.”
According to the race organizers, Shanks had competed in many marathons before last week’s event. He was pictured at a local pub with his finishers medal just hours before he collapsed.
A fundraiser benefiting those with MS has been launched in the wake of Shanks’ death, with the page also offering up a tribute to the runner: “Steve was a keen runner never happier than running anything, from his local Parkrun, to the Bob Graham Round. But he was more than just a runner he was a musician, a knitter, and a renowned quizzer possessed of extensive knowledge of terrible pop music,” read the post written by the fundraiser’s organizer, Matthew Clapp.
This isn’t the first time tragedy has struck the marathon. In 2018, a 29-year-old chef collapsed near mile 23 of the race and was later pronounced dead. During last year’s London Marathon, a 36-year-old man collapsed between miles 23 and 24 of the course and died shortly after being transferred to a hospital.
Laura Ratliff is a New York City-based writer, editor, and runner. Laura's writing expertise spans numerous topics, ranging from travel and food and drink to reported pieces covering political and human rights issues. She has previously worked at Architectural Digest, Bloomberg News, and Condé Nast Traveler and was most recently the senior editorial director at TripSavvy. Like many of us, Laura was bitten by the running bug later in life, after years of claiming to "hate running." Her favorite marathon is Big Sur.
