London Marathon runner whose heart stopped for 16 minutes finishes the final mile six months later

Published 3 November 2026, 10:51

• The medics who saved paramedic Gareth Hopkins, 43, at the race returned to support him on the route.
• Doctors feared Gareth was in a vegetative state before he showed signs of waking after 28 days.
• His wife, Jodie Hopkins, wrote: 'He finally finished what he started in April!'

Gareth Hopkins completed the final mile of the London Marathon on November 2nd, six months after his heart stopped for 16 minutes at mile 25 of the race — with the medical team who saved his life there to cheer him over the line.

His wife Jodie wrote on Facebook that it "may have taken 6 months but he finally finished what he started in April!"

Gareth, a 43-year-old paramedic with the East of England Ambulance Service, collapsed on April 26th with just one mile left of the course.

He had been running to raise money for Age UK in memory of his grandmother, and had already collected more than £13,000 for the charity when disaster struck.

At mile 16, Gareth texted his wife Jodie, a 38-year-old nurse practitioner, to say his calves felt as though they were going to explode, but pressed on, telling the Evening Standard, "I don't like giving up."

By mile 25 he called her to say he could not continue, but the tone of his voice told her something was badly wrong — and then the call dropped, and she was told he was in cardiac arrest.

"Everything was a bit of a blur," she said.

Gareth received CPR and emergency treatment at the scene before being blue-lighted to St Thomas' Hospital, where he spent around 11 weeks, including four weeks in intensive care.

Doctors feared he might be in a vegetative state when he failed to wake, but after 28 days he began to show signs of consciousness.

He then spent two months in a specialist neurological rehabilitation unit at Northwick Park Hospital, relearning how to walk, talk, eat and drink, before returning home in September.

When Gareth was discharged, staff lined the corridors to applaud him — and presented him with a London Marathon medal donated by an unknown supporter, since under race rules he was ineligible for an official one.

Friends set up a GoFundMe on May 2nd to ease financial pressure on Jodie and their four children; the page has received 1,700 donations, raising £35,826 towards a £40,000 goal.

Jodie wrote on GoFundMe that November 2nd was "truly one of the most overwhelming, emotional and special days of our lives," adding: "Having the medical team who saved Gareth's life that day there to support him was so unreal. As healthcare professionals we all know it's not often you get to meet the people you save, especially someone who has survived a Asystole 16 minute cardiac arrest and see how far they've come."

Speaking for the first time since leaving hospital, Gareth said his stubbornness drove his recovery, the Evening Standard reported.

"I always said to them [my family] that I'll try my hardest to get back where I was," he told the Evening Standard.

"I am so determined and stubborn. All those things got me through this. It got me in this, but it also got me out, otherwise I wouldn't be here."

He said he had to complete the mile: "I have to do it for my nan, for AgeUK, for everyone who donated. And like I said, I don't like starting things and not finishing. It'll be a full circle."

Jodie said: "I'm super proud and super grateful that he can finish the last mile because at one point, well quite a few times, I never thought he would be able to do that because of how uncertain things were."