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Runners typically live by one unshakable rule: Nothing new on race day. But during the final stretch of the fourth warmest London Marathon on record, Laura Coleman-Day eschewed that adage by stepping off the race course, slipping a wedding dress over her head, tugging it over her sweaty body, and running the last three miles draped in a creamy confection of satin, lace, and tulle.
Her “something new” wasn’t new at all—she had worn it once before, on her wedding day exactly six years earlier. She hadn’t even tried the dress on since carefully boxing it up after the big day. Yet Coleman-Day, a 33-year-old mother from Lincolnshire in the U.K., wasn’t worried about how the gown might slow her down, or the chafing it could cause, or the weight of satin clinging to her already-exhausted frame after more than four hours of running.
All she could think about was her late husband, Xander, who died the previous year from complications following a stem cell transplant to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). For Coleman-Day, this “Runaway Bride” moment wasn’t a stunt—it was a tribute.
Perfect Timing
Coleman-Day was already planning to run the London Marathon to raise funds for Anthony Nolan, a U.K.-based nonprofit that facilitates stem cell donations. She assumed the race would fall in the same April week as the year before—but this time, because of where Easter landed, the date was pushed back to April 27.
“I thought, ‘Oh wow, that’s our wedding anniversary,’” she recalls. “And the idea just popped into my head—to wear the dress. I felt like it would be the closest I could get to Xander that day.”
It would mark just the second April 27 without him by her side—a bespectacled man with an easy smile and a laugh she still hears in her head. Someone she describes as “the funniest, most incredible person you’d ever have the pleasure of meeting.” That same day would also be the final chapter in her quest to run 13 marathons in 12 months, raising money and awareness for blood cancer research in his name.
So yes, the moment demanded something big. Something bold. At first, Coleman-Day considered wearing the dress for the entire race. “I quickly realized that would be a terrible idea,” she laughs. “So I decided I’d just cross the finish line in it.”
Running Through Grief
In their early days of dating, Coleman-Day and Xander used to jog together. “When we met, I was trying to impress him,” she says. “He was super fit, and I’d be huffing and puffing, bright red—so not attractive.”
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They got married in 2019, had their son Amos, now three, and running took a back seat. But when Xander was diagnosed in 2022 and later received a stem cell transplant through Anthony Nolan, Coleman-Day laced up and started running again.
“I wanted to give back,” she says. “So I applied to run the 2023 London Marathon for charity. I never expected to be accepted, but I was! I trained, I fundraised—it was brilliant. I said I’d never do another marathon, but it can be a bit addicting. I applied to run in 2024, and got in once again.”
Tragedy derailed those plans when Xander passed away at the age of 36 in February 2024 after developing graft-versus-host disease after his transplant. Bereft, Coleman-Day transferred her marathon bib and turned her focus on piecing back together some semblance of a normal life for her and her toddler son. During her darkest days, she’d will herself to go out for a few miles.
“Running gave me space to breathe,” Coleman-Day says. “It gave me time to think, to figure things out. It gave me structure, and it helped me heal.”
Eventually, she found herself ready to take on 26.2 miles again—but this time, with a twist: She would run 13 marathons in a year, culminating with London. And she’d finish that last one wearing the dress she wore to marry Xander.
A Change of a Dress
Wearing a wedding dress during a marathon sounds simple in theory, but it’s trickier in execution, especially with a record-breaking 56,640 runners pounding the pavement and crowds ten-deep cheering along the route.
Coleman-Day asked two of her best friends, both bridesmaids in her wedding, for help in getting the dress to the race and meeting her at mile 23. The initial plan was for the friends to “just throw the dress over the barrier,” but ultimately, the trio met up at a cheer station for a quick (and comedic) wardrobe change.
“Oh, I was hot and sticky, and we really struggled to get the dress on,” she laughs, adding that she kept her running shorts and sports bra on underneath. “It didn’t quite fit—having a baby changes your body! But that ended up being a blessing. It didn’t zip all the way down, so I got some airflow.”
With the dress only half-zipped, she set off for the finish line. Beaming every step of the way, she soaked in the cheers from the throngs surrounding her, many shouting “Runaway bride!”
Despite the hefty emotions attached to the day, Coleman-Day didn’t cry. Instead, she thought about Xander and his reaction to the spectacle. “I could just see him up there, laughing at me, thinking, ‘You’re mad!’”
Worth It
Videos and photos of Coleman-Day’s final miles quickly spread online, shared thousands of times across continents. “I’m everywhere!” she jokes. “Even Indonesia!”
The attention surprised her. But she hopes it means something.
“I didn’t think anyone would care this much,” she says, tears springing to her blue eyes behind horn-rimmed glasses. “I’m just a mum from Lincolnshire who ran some marathons. But I love knowing Xander’s story is out there now. He was such a wonderful man. And if this inspires someone else to do something good, then it’s all been worth it.”