London Marathon Getty 2023
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Experienced runner Steve Shanks, died at age 45 on his way home after competing in Sunday's London Marathon. The cause of death has not been made public yet. Shanks, who lived in Nottingham, had just finished the world-renowned race in 2:53:26.

His wife, Jessica, shared the tragic news on a Facebook post. 

"It's with great sadness, that I wish to announce the loss of my wonderful husband, Stephen Shanks. His passing was sudden and out of the blue. He was returning home having spent the day participating in the London Marathon," she wrote.

"As you can imagine I'm absolutely in shock and devastated."

London Marathon Events also shared a social media post expressing their condolences. They said a cause of death would be "established later through medical examination" but that for now the family is asking for privacy during this difficult time. 

A fundraising page for the Multiple Sclerosis Society has been set up in Shanks' memory because, according to the GoFundMe page, a number of his friends have MS.

The Holme Pierrepont Running Club -- one of the longest established running clubs in the Nottingham area -- wrote about Shanks on their website. They said he won many club championships over all distances, and even achieved a clean sweep in 2009.

"He competed in races all over Europe and was a keen parkrun tourist, with a particular penchant for Poland. His talents were not limited to road running and perhaps his greatest achievement was the completion of a Bob Graham Round in 2008," read the website post.

"He represented the club in cross country, and won a club fell running championship in 2008. He raced on the track, also competing in the civil service championships. He will be hugely missed and we offer our heartfelt condolences to our friend, his wife Jess," they wrote.

The 2023 London Marathon attracted more than 48,000 runners -- a record number of participants for the 26.2-mile event. According to the BBC, there were 40,643 participants in 2022.