Former MasterChef contestant Matt Campbell tragically passed away after collapsing during the 2018 London Marathon at the age of 29
The London Marathon is a joyous event for so many, as thousands take to the streets of the capital to raise money for good causes and push themselves to the limit. But in 2018, tragedy struck when a former MasterChef contestant died after he collapsed while running the race.
The 2018 edition of the race was the hottest on record at the time, taking place in 24-degree heat. Matt Campbell and Tom Peters, who met on MasterChef: The Professionals in 2017, were both taking part.
At the 22.5-mile mark, Campbell collapsed, and after receiving medical attention at the scene, he later passed away in hospital aged 29. Peters detailed the heartbreaking events of that day, speaking after the incident.
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“When we finished, I thought it was quite strange that I hadn’t heard anything from him, because we were planning to meet up at the finish and go somewhere to grab food together,” Peters told Sky News.
“I just put it down to the fact that all the mobile phone signals and stuff had jammed because there was so many people. I left it an hour or so before I started calling him again and again but I never got through.
“During the marathon I had seen lots of people get stretchered off and lots of runners had been taken ill. There was so much of that I didn’t think too much of not hearing from Matt. I thought that because the conditions of the day were very tough he might not have been feeling too well.
“Matt was a very talented runner and I knew he was trying to complete the marathon in less than three hours. I thought maybe he’d taken it a bit too hard and was suffering from dehydration or something.
“After the race I went back to my house in Canada Water in London and got myself ready to go and meet some friends. It was then that I received a call from his brother.
“He told me Matt had suffered a heart attack and hadn’t made it through. I was in complete disbelief, I could not process what he told me at all. It didn’t seem real, it doesn’t seem real now. He had so much going for him, so much planned, we had so much planned together. It didn’t seem real at all. I’m still in disbelief really. It’s so sad.
“Matt’s inspiration was very infectious, whether that was with cooking on MasterChef, his interest in nutrition, or his social media presence with his running. He has inspired so many different types of people.”
Campbell was running the marathon to raise money for the Brathay Trust. His JustGiving page received thousands of donations and raised over £350,000. Peters, along with another fellow contestant, Jamie Park, co-organised a symbolic run to complete the final 3.7 miles of the marathon that Matt had been unable to finish.
They invited the public to join them on the following Sunday to walk or run the remaining distance. People across the UK also ran 3.7 miles in memory of Campbell.
