London marathon runner died yards from finish after his body overheated

 
Robert Berry suffered extreme heat stroke while running the London Marathon

A London Marathon runner collapsed 40 yards from the finishing line and died after suffering extreme heat stroke, an inquest has heard.

Robert Berry succumbed to hyperthermia, where the body is unable to regulate its temperature, overheats and begins to shut down.

Westminster coroners’ court heard that the father of two had no underlying health problems. He was helped over the finish line and paramedics began resuscitation but he died at St Mary’s Hospital.

Mr Berry, 42, of Reading, was running for the National Osteoporosis Society which saw donations surge to more than £73,000 after his death on April 13.

Today his family called for greater awareness of hyperthermia in the running community. The coroner recorded a verdict of misadventure.

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