A MUM completed the London Marathon on Sunday in memory of her best friend’s fiancé who died six weeks before their wedding.

Alexandra Russell, from Moore, only started running one-and-a-half years ago after joining a running club in Sandymoor.

The 33-year-old ran the marathon to raise money for the charity Cardiomyopathy UK in memory of Alex Kaiser who died in his sleep, six weeks before he was due to marry her best friend Sarah Hoare.

Alex, from Glossop, was fit and healthy and had no idea he had cardiomyopathy, Alexandra wanted to raise awareness and funds in his memory.

So far, the mum-of-one has raised £1,500 for the charity after completing the race in five hours.

Despite the hot weather conditions, Alexandra enjoyed the experience.

The HR manager said: “Alex was a very fit and healthy 28-year-old and enjoyed his biking events, he was actually half way through an event in Wales when he passed away.

“Losing Alex inspired Sarah to set up The Kaiser Challenge and every year since has inspired us all to get involved and set challenges for ourselves.

“I have always enjoyed running but if anyone ever asked me I said I would never do a marathon.

"I just never thought I could run that far.

“In December 2016, I joined a local running club and since then have received so much support and have completed a few half marathons and half of the Warrington Way.”

Since Alex’s death, his fiancé Sarah, along with many friends and family, have raised more than £100,000 for the charity.

Joel Rose, chief executive of Cardiomyopathy UK, said: “It's essential that families start talking to each other about heart disease within the family as cardiomyopathies can be poorly understood. Sudden cardiac deaths can only be prevented if people at risk are identified.

"We would urge anyone with symptoms of cardiomyopathy or a family history to speak to their GP.

“Young people are the biggest losers in the diagnosis lottery as they don’t conform to a ‘typical heart patient’ so they are often misdiagnosed, and their cardiomyopathy symptoms are often attributed to something else like asthma. Too many people have died suddenly from this disease.

"We all need to abandon our preconceptions and stereotypes of what a patient with a heart condition looks like. Family history is a crucial indicator of risk, and we all need to take action and start talking more for this to change”.

Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle and affects more than 160,000 people in the UK.

One in three people is initially misdiagnosed with early warning signs of the disease such as breathlessness, palpitations, and dizziness being mistaken for asthma or anxiety.

For more info about dilated cardiomyopathy visit cardiomyopathy.org/dilated-cardiomyopathy/intro

You can donate to Alexandra’s page via uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=AlexandraRussell2&pageUrl=1