Iceland boss thanks medics who ‘saved his life’ after collapse in London Marathon
"I collapsed and fell unconscious less than 2 miles before the London Marathon finish line with hyperthermic shock - body temp was 42 and rising."
The chief executive of discount grocer Iceland has paid tribute to ambulance staff who “saved his life” after he collapsed near the finish line of the London Marathon.
Richard Walker took to Instagram to say he fell unconscious near the conclusion of the 26.2 miles run, in which tens of thousands participated for charity.
The grocer’s boss said: “St John Ambulance saved my life.”
He added: “I collapsed and fell unconscious less than 2 miles before the London Marathon finish line with hyperthermic shock – body temp was 42 and rising.
“Truth be told I didn’t train enough & pushed way too hard on the day – probably a little bit of Everest arrogance!”
He said he came to half an hour after his collapse with “an amazing team of medics, covered in ice with all sorts of things stuck in me”.
He also shared a picture of his running gear before the race, and him at the start line at Tower Bridge.
Walker ran the marathon with his friend Simon, with his fundraising page saying he’d received more than £10,900 in donations for Alzheimer’s Research.
A record number of people ran in the London Marathon on Sunday, including politicians, actors in character and amateurs in costume.
More than 50,000 people ran the 26.2-mile course through the capital.
Iceland’s boss Richard Walker recently switched his allegiance from being a long-time Conservative supporter, to Labour.
