Since his tragic death whilst taking part in the 2018 London Marathon, more than £365,000 has been donated to the Brathay Trust. The charity have said they want to do something “significant” with the money raised in the young runner’s memory.
Campbell was running in memory of his father, who had volunteered for the charity and had died 18 months before he ran the London Marathon.
The charity’s chief executive Godfrey Owen told the BBC: “his family are very interested in young chefs. It’s been very interesting just to see how many people in that industry would like to support Matt by helping young people going into that very challenging, but must be very rewarding, sector.
“One can’t help but feel that responsibility of doing something significant with such an amazing figure.”
Campbell, a professional chef from the Lake District, collapsed at the 22.5 mile mark and despite receiving immediate medical treatment on the scene, died later in hospital.
A Facebook group has been organised by runners who are running the final 3.7 miles for Matt and his family and has now grown to over 9,000 members. The group writes: "A small gesture of solidarity would be to 'finish' the run for Matt. It my 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 tha'd be a nice gesture from us as a group. #FinishForMatt" There is also a run organised from Tower Bridge to the finish line on Sunday for London-based runners.
Runners all over the UK have been dedicating their runs to Matt, and in doing so, have helped him raise nearly £175,000 for The Brathay Trust.
The Prime Minister, Theresa May, also payed tribute to the runner this week, telling MPs "I'm sure members across the House would want to join me in offering condolences to his family and friends."
How a visually impaired runner and her guide found
Campbell was a well-known chef, finishing 2nd on the BBC Young Chef of the Year in 2009 and appearing on ‘Masterchef: The Professionals’ last year. He inspired viewers with his Nutritional Gastronomy movement and forward-thinking ideas. His website showcases his passion for cooking and travelling, and shared his exciting plans for the year ahead – “2018 is looking exciting, a UK “roadshow” announced, filming for a TV pilot, planning my cookbook, collaborating with brands and working towards my first food start up."
He was running both the Manchester and London Marathon for The Brathay Trust and in memory of his father, Martin, who died in the summer of 2016. On the young runner’s Deo Kato is running from Cape Town to London he paid tribute to his father, writing “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." Since his untimely death, Campbell has raised over £365,000 for The Brathay Trust.
Matt’s family have paid tribute to their inspitational son and brother, who was a keen marathon runner, and who had, earlier this month, completed the Manchester Marathon in an impressive time of under 3 hours.
As yet, no further details will be released, and the family have asked for privacy during this sad time. The exact cause of death will be established later in time. This year was the hottest London Marathon on record, with soaring temperatures of 24°C.
The marathon's event director, Hugh Brasher has said Campbell's death was "absolutely tragic". Provisional figures indicate 110 runners required hospital treatment after taking on the hottest marathon on record, compared with 2011, when temperatures reached 22°C and 104 runners were taken to hospital.
Famous chefs have lead the tributes to Matt on Twitter:
All of us at Runner’s World would like to extend our deepest sympathies to Campbell’s family and friends during this sad time.
