This woman gave a new definition to runaway bride.
A UK widow completed the London marathon while wearing her wedding dress to honor her late husband on their wedding anniversary.
Laura Coleman-Day’s husband, Xander, died last year after complications from a transplant he needed after developing acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
She crossed the finish line of the London marathon this past Sunday to raise money for the blood cancer and stem cell research charity, Anthony Nolan.
Since the race was on the widow’s sixth wedding anniversary, the dedicated 33-year-old stopped while running to finish the last three miles of the race in her wedding dress.
“I thought what better way to honour the day and honour him…” Coleman-Day told the BBC.
“It was absolutely amazing” but very ‘hot.’”
“The crowds, the atmosphere and running with one of the most inspiring people I’ve ever met,” she told the outlet.
Coleman-Day is participating in a challenge to run 13 marathons in one year to help raise money for the charity and participating in this most recent one let her cross another 26.2-mile race off her list.
The widow ran the race alongside her friend Kate Walford, who ran to honor the memory of her best friend Mark who died in 2018 after getting leukaemia for the second time.
The pair met through the Anthony Nolan charity in 2023.
“Despite the harsh conditions of the heat, we had the most amazing day meeting many other inspirational runners,” Coleman-Day said.
“Watching Laura step into her wedding dress at mile 23 was such an emotional moment, reminding me what she has been through.”
“We crossed the line together and did Xander and Mark proud.”
The rare type of cancer — that her husband had — affects the blood and bone marrow, which accounts for less than 1% of all cancer diagnoses in the US.
“They were doing a lot of research into post-transplant and I didn’t want anybody else to go through what me and my son have gone through,” she said.
