‘I felt like Nick was with me all the way’
BROTHER WHO
MEMORY OF
THE sudden unexpected death of his brother from a heart attack spurred a runner on at last week’s London Marathon.
John Houghton, 58, from Melton, was one of 800 British Heart Foundation (BHF) runners on the streets of the capital.
He completed the 26.2-mile course in 3 hours, 55 minutes, raising £9,000 for the BHF so far.
He took on the challenge in memory of his older brother, Nick, who died from a sudden heart attack in March last year, aged 63.
John said his brother’s heart attack was “very, very unexpected”. He was previously fit and healthy and had yearly medicals because of his job as an aerobatics flying instructor.
Two weeks after Nick’s funeral, John’s younger brother, Dave, had a heart attack but survived. Dave also had no previous medical conditions.
In 2016, John was diagnosed with heart disease himself.
For his first London Marathon, he ran with a photo of Nick on his T-shirt.
He described the event as very moving and felt like “Nick was with him the whole way”.
“Taking part in the London Marathon for the British Heart Foundation was such a huge challenge and an incredible experience,” he said after the race.
“The atmosphere around the course was electric and it was amazing having so many people cheering me on.
“It made me even more determined to cross the finish line.
“The research that the BHF does makes such a difference to the 7.6 million people in the UK living with heart and circulatory diseases.
“I’m proud that I’m doing as much as I can to support their amazing work to help fund the next big scientific breakthrough.”
Andy Tribe, events manager at the BHF, said: “It’s fantastic to see John’s courage and determination in helping us fund lifesaving research.
“Without the dedication of our team of BHF runners, we wouldn’t be able to fund research that has already broken new ground, revolutionised treatments and transformed the lives of millions of people in the UK.”
To take on a challenge for the BHF, visit: