Thousands to Finish Race for MasterChef Contestant

From Delish

During Sunday’s London Marathon, Matt Campbell, a recent MasterChef: The Professionals contestant, collapsed 3.7 miles from the finish line. According to an official statement released by the London Marathon, Campbell later died in the hospital despite receiving immediate medical help. He was 29 years old.

Campbell collapsed around the 22.5-mile mark during the race, which had more than 40,000 participants cross the finish line. It was was the hottest race on record for the 37-year-old event, with temperatures reaching 75 degrees. The cause of Campbell's death is currently being investigated.

“Matt was a well-known chef who featured in Masterchef: The Professionals last year, inspiring viewers with his Nutritional Gastronomy movement and forward-thinking ideas,” read an official statement from the London Marathon. “He was running for the Brathay Trust and in memory of his father, Martin, who died in the summer of 2016.”

The statement also said that Campbell was a dedicated runner and earlier in April completed the Manchester Marathon in 2:56:50.

Support for the chef and runner has been flooding in since his death. Donations to the Brathay Trust, with its mission to inspire vulnerable young people to make positive changes in their lives, have reached more than $180,000 on his justgiving.com fundraising page. (His original goal was to raise around $3,000.)

And with a blessing from his family, as of Wednesday morning more than 8,000 people have now signed up to the “Finish for Matt” Facebook page, where people are pledging to run the 3.7 miles Campbell did not finish on Sunday.

“Matt was a unique inspiration, a positive person whose enthusiasm and love of life touched so many,” read a statement from Brathay Trust regarding Campbell’s death. “In the time we knew Matt, we were all affected by his unique personality and talent. We were in awe of his flair as a chef and he was generous with his time and knowledge. We were all looking ahead to working with him on some of his culinary ideas to inspire the next generation.”

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