'I thought I would die after London Marathon'

Chris Attwood smiles as he runs through the London Marathon in April 2025, shortly before becoming unwell [Amy Attwood] An accomplished runner who suffered a heart attack and a stroke after taking part in his tenth London Marathon has shared how he got back to events thanks to his family and running club. Chris Attwood, 52, had been on pace for a personal best of two hours 55 minutes but became unwell around mile 20 of the route in April 2025. The Black Pear Jogger, from Worcester, who now uses an all-terrain wheelchair and a computer system to aid his speech, told the BBC: "I was strapped to a stretcher, thinking I was going to die.

" On Saturday he returned to Worcester parkrun with his friends and family, appearing on the official results for the first time since his collapse. Wife Amy said she had been tracking her husband on an app last year before the updates stopped. She eventually received a phone call saying he had been taken to hospital.

"I remember running down a corridor trying to find him," she said. "I was like 'there he is'. [My friend] said 'how do you know that's Chris'?

And I was like 'I recognise those running toes anywhere'. " Chris Attwood now uses a wheelchair and a computer system to aid his speech [Amy Attwood] After being taken to hospital, Attwood underwent a cardiac procedure which initially went well. But shortly afterwards he suffered a massive stroke.