At mile 23 of the London Marathon, 33-year-old Laura Coleman-Day did something that made the already emotional race unforgettable. She pulled on her white wedding dress—the same one she wore six years earlier to marry her husband, Xander—and ran the final three miles wrapped in memory.
Xander wasn’t there. He died just over a year ago from complications following treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a rare blood cancer. April 27, the day of the marathon, was their wedding anniversary.
“I thought what better way to honor the day and honor him than crossing the line in my wedding dress,” Coleman-Day said.
Coleman-Day’s run was the final chapter in a year-long campaign: 13 marathons in 12 months, raising money for the leukemia charity Anthony Nolan, which supports stem cell research and post-transplant care—the kind her husband needed.
She’d started the journey in the midst of heartbreak, hoping to ensure fewer families had to face the same loss.
Coleman-Day wasn’t alone in London.
Running beside her was her friend and fellow fundraiser, Kate Walford, who lost her best friend, Mark, to leukemia in 2018. The pair met through Anthony Nolan last year and bonded over their shared grief and determination. For Walford, the London Marathon was her second of 12 planned races.
They ran not just for Xander and Mark, but for everyone affected by blood cancer. “We crossed the line together,” Kate said. “And we did Xander and Mark proud.”
The moment Coleman-Day stepped into her dress at mile 23 hit hard. The heat, the crowds, the weight of the fabric—and the reason for it all. “It was absolutely amazing,” she said. “But very hot.”
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is rare, accounting for less than 1% of cancer cases in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society. But for those diagnosed, especially with mutations like the Philadelphia chromosome (which Xander had), treatment is complex and risky. Organizations like Anthony Nolan play a vital role in research and donor matching.
Laura’s races raised tens of thousands of pounds for the charity. But more than that, she turned pain into action—mile after mile.
“I’ve got a friend for life now,” she said of Walford. And in running together, both women keep the memories of the people they lost alive—with every step, every finish line, every story shared.
