Emotional Doncaster man completes London Marathon in memory of mum who died at 51

Jordan Langfield, 32, joined a team of 800 British Heart Foundation runners who took to the streets of London on Sunday, raising more than £1.4 million for the organisation.

And Jordan, who completed the gruelling 26.2-mile course in 3 hours and 45 minutes, raised an incredible £4,100.

He took on the challenge in memory of his mum, Carol Langfield, who tragically died unexpectedly from coronary heart disease in 2019 at the age of 51.

Jordan described his mum as an active and healthy woman, saying: “We had no idea, no one had any idea. It did not make sense to me that heart disease would be something to worry about or even to consider at the time, on the surface she was perfectly healthy.”

He ran to raise awareness for women going through the menopause to get checked out for heart disease, even if they have no symptoms, as doctors told him that the changes that happen to the body in menopause contributed to his mum’s death.

Before menopause, women have a lower risk than men of developing coronary heart disease, the leading cause of heart attacks. However, after menopause, the risk drastically increases.

This is because the menopause can cause changes in your body, such as lowered levels of oestrogen, that increase your risk of coronary heart disease.

This was Jordan’s first marathon which he describes as ‘more difficult than expected’, especially having two kids and balancing training with family life, but the idea of helping other women like his mum made it all worth it.

Upon crossing the finish line, Jordan said: “Taking part in the 2024 TCS London Marathon for the British Heart Foundation (BHF), was such a huge challenge and an incredible experience. The atmosphere around the course was electric and it was amazing having so many people cheering me on, it made me even more determined to cross the finish line. It's been amazing raising awareness for women to get checked for heart issues when they enter menopause.

 “The research that the BHF does makes such a difference to the 7.6 million people in the UK living with heart and circulatory diseases. I’m proud that I’m doing as much as I can to support

their amazing work to help fund the next big scientific breakthrough.” 

Andy Tribe, Events Manager at the BHF, added: “It’s fantastic to see Jordan’s courage and determination in helping us fund lifesaving research. Without the dedication of our team of BHF runners and the commitment of people like Jordan, we wouldn’t be able to fund research that has already broken new ground, revolutionised treatments and transformed the lives of millions of people in the UK.  

“The stories of why our amazing supporters take part never fails to amaze me and it was incredible to see Jordan and 800 others take on such a gruelling challenge to help save and improve

lives.” 

To take on your own challenge for the BHF, visit www.bhf.org.uk/events