Six months after suffering a cardiac arrest at the 25th mile of the London Marathon, Gareth Hopkins, 43, returned to the capital on Sunday to complete the final mile of the race, walking alongside family, friends, and supporters.

Hopkins, a paramedic from Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, collapsed during the marathon on 26 April when his heart stopped due to severe rhabdomyolysis, a condition caused by overheating. He was treated in intensive care at St Thomas' Hospital for six months before finally returning home in September.

On Sunday, he walked the last mile of the marathon route, passing Buckingham Palace and along The Mall. He described feeling "nervous" beforehand, but afterward said, "Everyone calls me a hero, that I inspire people, I just feel happy it went really well and it was a lot better than I thought."

A Long Road to Recovery

Hopkins, who was running his first marathon with his brother Chris to raise funds for Age UK in memory of their grandmother, Tricia Petts, who died in January 2025, has no memory of the day he collapsed. He had to relearn basic functions such as walking, talking, and eating. "But now I feel like I've finished what I started," he said. "I just wanted to be able to walk to the finish line."

His brother Chris, 41, from Whitwell, Hertfordshire, recalled the moment he realized something was wrong: "I finished my race just after 2pm, three and a bit hours before I knew what had happened. We were tracking Gareth and when he stopped we went looking to find him. We then found out he was in a really, really, bad way - he was with St John when we first found him." He credited St John Ambulance with saving his brother's life, saying they brought him "back from cardiac arrest."

Chris plans to run his third London Marathon in 2027 to raise money for St John Ambulance, the "incredible charity that played a role in saving my brother's life."

An Outpouring of Support

Gareth believes about 200 people were there to cheer him on for the final stretch, which he described as "a bit mad all those people were there just for me." He added, "It was the longest marathon ever. I'm just a normal person, I didn't do anything special."

He expressed gratitude to his wife Jodie, who supported him throughout his recovery, and to everyone who helped save his life. "You don't realise people really care until something like this happens," he said. "I was doing it for my family."

Hopkins is still unable to work, and a fundraising page set up to help his family has raised nearly £36,000. He has raised £2,900 of his £3,000 target for Age UK.

Hannorah Lee, fundraising director at Age UK, said, "It was really special to see him complete that final mile and finish what he started earlier this year. Gareth's an inspiration to all of us in Team Age UK - we're so proud of his generosity, determination and spirit."

Despite his achievement, Hopkins has confirmed he will never do another marathon, joking, "I've been banned from running. To be fair, I don't think I could ever do it again, it's been emotional."