Runner dies after collapse in London Marathon

Tragedy has struck in the aftermath of the London Marathon after a British man died following a collapse during the race.

Matt Campbell, a professional chef who had previously appeared on the UK version of "Masterchef", went down 36km into the race and was treated by doctors before being rushed to hospital.

RECORD HEAT: Runners struggle in hottest-ever London Marathon

Campbell, who completed the Manchester Marathon earlier this month in under three hours, was running in memory of his father Martin who died two years ago.

"Everyone involved in the organisation of the London Marathon would like to express our sincere condolences to Matt's family and friends," organisers said in a statement.

"The exact cause of death will be established by later medical examination."

Campbell last year reached the semi-finals of "Masterchef: The Professionals".

Before the race he had posted a picture of his kit to social media, and another of him and fellow chef Tom Peters ahead of running.

“Myself and Tom Peters after meeting in the final 12 of MasterChef have decided to run London Marathon together, I’m running for @brathayevents and Tom is running for @asthmauk,” he wrote on the MasterChef UK Facebook page the day before the marathon.

“We are nervous but feeling fit and ready! Gonna be as hot as the MasterChef kitchen was last year it looks like.”

Record temperatures caused chaos in the race, with runners struggling in 23C heat.

More than 40,000 runners took part at St James's Park on Sunday, with the peak temperature of 23.2C setting a new London Marathon record.

The previous high of 22.7C was recorded in 1996, while it hit 22.6C in 2007 - when one runner died and 73 were hospitalised.

Organisers said temperatures were much higher on the course due to the heat from the road and other runners.

with agencies