On 19th May 2024, my partner Mike Harper set off to run the Bristol Half Marathon. He had trained for it, was excited for it, and was ready to take it on. He almost made it. Just 200 metres from the finish line, Mike collapsed and never got up again. He was 26. Seemingly fit and healthy, but with symptoms that we didn’t recognise to be indicators of cardiac problems. It turned out he had an undiagnosed heart condition. A sudden cardiac arrest took him in seconds. I was there waiting for him, as was his best friend and partner. Our world changed in an instant when the race organiser broke the news to us. Mike was gone.

This year, on the 11th May 2025, I ran the same half marathon Mike never got to finish. But I didn’t run it alone. Seventeen of us – his friends, his family, his people – ran in his name. Step by step, mile by mile, we carried him with us. And when we crossed that finish line, we carried him over it too. We finished the race he didn’t get to.

We ran for Mike. But we also ran for CRY, Cardiac Risk in the Young, a charity that’s been with me through every wave of grief. CRY provided bereavement support from someone who had also lost her partner to sudden cardiac arrest. She understood in a way only someone who’s lived it can. That support helped me survive the aftermath, and this fundraiser was my way of giving something back.

I personally raised over £6,000 for CRY, with incredible support from the school I work at. During Heart Month in February, we wore red on Valentine’s Day to raise money and awareness. We also got every sixth form student to learn CPR during form time, using their school bags to practise chest compressions. We didn’t just talk about it. We acted. Also, my friends from across the UK and all over the world, from every walk of life, donated through Instagram and shared my story. Their messages, their belief in this cause, and their love helped carry me through.

And the support didn’t stop there. The amazing team who ran with me have raised thousands more. Friends, colleagues, and total strangers have given generously. Mike’s wider community has continued to raise money in his name in so many creative and meaningful ways. 

Losing Mike shattered me and our dreams for a happy future together as a loving couple. But this run, this community, this fundraiser, have been a way to turn grief into something powerful. A way to honour a life so full of love and promise. A way to help stop this from happening to someone else’s person.

CRY is working every day to prevent young sudden cardiac deaths through screening, research, education, and support. Mike should still be here. So many of them should still be here. We can’t change what happened to him. But together, we can fight to make sure fewer families know this pain.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for donating. And thank you, CRY, for helping me find hope and purpose when everything else felt lost.

Ailsa Gray