Sir Mo Farah set for final marathon in London

A runner is pleading for help to find the kind man who helped him after he slipped and broke his leg during the London Marathon. Richard Hollingsworth broke his femur during the race after he slipped on a discarded gel packet from a fellow runner. Thankfully a spectator caught him as Richard’s body went into shock and he began shivering. Now he wants to thank the man that helped him.

Richard, 37, raised over £5,000 for Children with Cancer in the build-up to his first marathon. He hit mile nine of the 26.2-mile race when he slipped and fell and several spectators helped him, one even offering their gilet to stop him shivering.

His wife Emma, who is heavily pregnant, was several miles away at Tower Bridge with their three children so wasn’t able to help.

Appealing to find those that helped Richard, she said: “A spectator caught him as he fell, someone from the cafe by the roadside ran over with a chair and he sat down. His body went into shock and he was shivering, so the spectator gave him his gilet to wear.

“I was at Tower Bridge when this happened, heavily pregnant with three young kids so rushed over to him as quickly as we could. The medics were there but the man with the gilet had moved on to support whoever he was watching at another spot.”

Now the couple want to find the man who left his gilet behind.

Emma added: “He said to my husband to keep the gilet as he needed it more than him but we’d love to find him and give it back and do something to repay this act of kindness.

“The lovely man we are looking for helped my husband outside Caffe Pistachio in Surrey Quays, who were also incredibly kind, and was Caucasian looking, 40s/50s, shortish hair and waited with my husband for a while until he knew help was close by.

“I am hoping we can find him.”

Speaking on the issue of litter being left after Richard slipped on a discarded gel, Emma said it is “not only hazardous but really disappointing”.

She continued: “The owner of the cafe by where he fell said it was the worst she’s seen it. Even in my husband’s ward of six beds at St Thomas’ hospital, two of the other men had exactly the same injury in the exact same way so it’s clearly an issue, who knows how many other people on other wards in other London hospitals along the route had done the same.

“I know it’s hard to dispose of things while running although I am told they do have people with bins shortly after every water stop, but it does feel a little selfish that some people think their marathon is so important that it makes it ok to litter, whether it injures someone or not.”

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