Wellwishers donate more than £12,000 to fundraising page for tragic London Marathon runner, 45, who died on his way home after finishing race in under three hours
- Steve Shanks, 45, died while travelling from London back to home in Bingham
- Friends have created page to gather donations for Multiple Sclerosis Society
Wellwishers have donated more than £12,000 to a fundraising page created following the sudden death of a seasoned runner just hours after he completed the London Marathon.
Steve Shanks, 45, died while travelling from the capital back to his home in Bingham, Nottingham, after finishing the race in under three hours on Sunday.
Following his death, friends created a fundraising page to gather donations for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. It is understood Mr Shanks had friends with the disease.
More than 600 donations have been made to the page, including an anonymous contribution of £2,000, along with a number of heartfelt tributes to the keen runner.
Mr Shanks is understood to have won a local race as recently as last month and had gained a reputation as a respected runner around his hometown.
Steve Shanks celebrates with his medal on Sunday – after which he died suddenly travelling home
Mr Shanks competed in the London Marathon at the weekend, but died as he made his way home
He was pictured holding an award after winning the Dark Skies Run @ Kielder, a 26.5-mile nighttime race looping around Kielder Water, on March 18. It was the first time the race had taken place since the breakout of Covid.
Mr Shanks completed the race in three hours and 16 minutes, finishing two seconds ahead of the second-placed runner.
Meanwhile, posting on the fundraising page, Chris Houghton said: ‘People like Steve should have and will have a lasting impact on the world. I’m so sorry for your loss.
‘Keep believing the world is a wonderful place, if and when you can.’
Joseph Weller added: ‘I’m sorry for your loss. Steve’s passion for running inspired so many, and their memory will continue to motivate others to push themselves to their limits. He lived to the fullest and left a positive impact on those around them.’
Sam Thomas said: ‘Sending my greatest condolences to your family, gutted to hear about your passing Steve, having ran London at the weekend too I know just how special a race it is! Hoping your memory will live on through your charity fundraiser.’
Mr Shanks completed the race on Sunday in the impressive time of two hours and 53 minutes.
Husband and wife Jess and Steve Shanks pose at a ParkRun event in Poland, a country Mr Shanks especially liked travelling to
Mr Shanks was a ‘very experienced’ runner who had complete multiple other marathons
He had won multiple club championships across various distances, and is said to have travelled all across Europe to compete in events, styling himself as a ‘ParkRun tourist’ who particularly enjoyed running in Poland.
But his devastated wife Jessica Shanks described her heartbreak as she confirmed he had died following the marathon on Sunday.
In an emotional Facebook post, she wrote: ‘It’s with great sadness, that I wish to announce the loss of my wonderful husband, Stephen Shanks.
‘His passing was sudden and 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 and devastated.’
Radio 1 DJ Adele Roberts, a fellow racer at the marathon, was among those to respond as she revealed she was ‘very sad’ to hear the news.
His local group, Holme Pierrepont Running Club, added: ‘We are shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of our friend Steve Shanks following the London Marathon.’
Mr Shanks was described as a ‘loving husband and soulmate’ on the fundraising page’.
Organisers of the page added: ‘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 musician, a knitter, and a renowned quizzer possessed of extensive knowledge of terrible pop music.’
A spokesman for the London Marathon said in a statement: ‘Everyone at London Marathon Events was deeply saddened to hear about the sudden death of Steve Shanks as he travelled home on Sunday April 23 after taking part in the London Marathon’
Radio 1 DJ Adele Roberts said she was ‘very sad’ to hear the news
An MS Society spokesman said that although Mr Shanks did not run for them they are ‘deeply saddened’ to hear of his death.
Ed Tait, executive director of engagement and income generation, said: ‘We’re deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Steve Shanks, and offer our heartfelt condolences to his family.
‘More than 130,000 people live with MS in the UK, and we’re incredibly grateful that vital funds are being raised for those affected by the condition, in Steve’s memory.’
A spokesman for the London Marathon also said in a statement: ‘Everyone at London Marathon Events was deeply saddened to hear about the sudden death of Steve Shanks as he travelled home on Sunday April 23 after taking part in the London Marathon.
‘The cause of death will be established later through medical examination.’
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