A friend said: “It didn’t stop her keeping extremely fit but it might have made a lesser person take a back seat and put their feet up. But Claire just got on with it. “
Yesterday Claire's heartbroken boyfriend described the moment he found out she had collapsed and died.
Simon van Herrewege, a social carer in a nursing home, was stood alongside Claire's sister and her friends at the finish, waiting to cheer the hairdresser across the line.
Tragically, she never made it, dying 300 metres from the end near St James’ Park.
Van Herrewege eventually received a phone call, instructing him to go to a nearby hospital.
Speaking to The Sun, the 31-year-old said: “I thought she had twisted an ankle or something, and I ran and flagged down a taxi.”
When he got to the emergency room, medical staff informed him that Claire was dead.
He added: “She smiled and then she was gone. She was woo-hooing with joy as she ran off. Everyone was looking at her. That was the last time I saw her alive.”
After Claire’s death, Simon and her sister Penny, 28, were taken to see her body.
Click below for pictures of Claire and her friends
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She is an inspiration to a lot of people,but there is an issue about the marathon ie, as with Claire there a a lot of people taking part who have medical condition but choose to ignore them, more so there are a lot of people who have medical conditions and dont know,taking part in the marathon to raise money for charity is very important but dont be one of the statistics.
Upharto: She is an inspiration to a lot of people,but there
Its sad that this has happened to such a lovely person but I am glad about the publicity. My son was diagnosed with Left ventricular hypertrophic cardiomyopathy last year. He is 28 and the fact that it was picked up by accident as a heart murmer that he didnt know he had is a blessing and a curse. He had and has no symptoms, has been going through the whole evaluation of the risk process of sudden death. It has been decided to monitor him and to put him on beta blockers and not to fit a defribrilator at this stage. He has had genetic test as this disease is usally inherited but in his case it appears not to be and there is NO history in the family. Research shows that sadly the irregular heart beat or murmer does NOT show up until the second decade of a persons life at the earliest. If it makes people more aware of this nasty little disease like with the footballer Muamba then sad as it is the publicity may safe someone elses life...and at that age we all felt imortal...
fatcatsbythesea: Its sad that this has happened to such a lovely
i'm far from it never think you know what someone is for you info im now disabled but worked for over 30 years and was very active and i hope with treatment etc too go back to work so maybe be careful what you say
sjjb: i'm far from it never think you know what someone
This young lady was a credit to the fundraising circuit... but... if she 'loved life' in all she did.. then why, begs the question, didnt she get her condition dealt with instead of 'refusing to let it interfere with her fundraising', when she knew about her condition?
I say this, as I have a nephew who had an irregular heartbeat, too, as a young lad.... he decided he wanted to get into fitness.. got it treated over a 3yr period... became a British Kickboxing champion in his early 20's... went into the Marines... came out... and is still very much into his fitness today, in his 30's.
But, he wouldn't have had all that, or been here today(?) had he not had this condition treated.
The moral of all this... do not take your condition too lightly and brush it under the carpet... especially if you 'love to live life to the full'.
It's a great pity good people like Claire die way too young for all the good they are/were doing, as they no doubt could have gone on to greatness... much more than she's achieving posthumously.
slam-bam: This young lady was a credit to the fundraising circuit...
Despite the tragic loss of Claire..what a lovely thing for her family to know that she had touched so many lives, and raised so much money for her charity.
R.I.P. Claire.
JennyMac2343: Despite the tragic loss of Claire..what a lovely thing for
Speaking as someone who has an irregular heartbeat, but tries to keep as fit as possible, I can see the dilemma. Luckily, my body gives me plenty of warning when things are going wrong and I know I have to stop, otherwise I will pass out. Presumably Claire must have had some symptoms to have this diagnosed, but chose to ignore them and push herself as far as possible to fundraise for charity in memory of her brother. Trully tragic. Rest in peace, Claire.
buchanallan: Speaking as someone who has an irregular heartbeat, but tries
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Huffington Post UK | By Sara C Nelson Posted: 1/05/2012 08:28 Updated: 2/05/2012 11:51