Woman to run London Marathon in husband's memory

A woman from Herefordshire is preparing to take on the London Marathon to honour her husband who died after contracting sepsis.

Laura said she wanted to raise awareness of the condition in memory of husband Gareth, who died shortly after his 39th birthday.

"It's to do it in his memory and to get the word out there and let people realise it's a silent killer," she said.

"We really need to get more awareness to stop it and to help others."

The 45-year-old said Gareth was "a wonderful man," and added he was "really dedicated" in everything he did.

"He ran his own marketing and website development business. He was a very proud father," she said.

"He was really sporting, he loved golf, he loved football, he loved tennis. He was really, really active."

Laura told BBC Hereford and Worcester she had known "absolutely nothing" about sepsis before Gareth's illness.

Speaking to other people and families affected by it since, had made her see how common it was, and how it regularly goes undiagnosed.

Laura said she had always wanted to run the iconic 26.2 mile (42 km) race, and had joked with Gareth that she would definitely have to do it before she turned 50.

"I just thought it was a really good idea, I made the application and got the place, and here we are now, doing it," she said.

"I guess it's just one of those iconic things to do – a bucket list achievement – and people that run it just raise such awareness."

Her son Myles was excited and proud of her efforts, she added.

"We've made a banner and he's really looking forward to the day," Laura added.

It would be "a day full of emotions," she said, but at the end of the race she would be thinking of Gareth and how he would have been "really proud" of her.

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