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Man to run marathon on anniversary of wife's death

Aimee DexterCambridgeshire
News imageChristopher Jones Christopher Jones is on the left and is wearing a black T-shirt, black jumper and a white hat. He has a short brown beard and moustache. Standing next to him on the right is his wife Paula, who has blonde hair in an updo and is wearing a white shirt.Christopher Jones
Christopher Jones is running the marathon to raise money for Brain Tumour Research, after his wife Paula died from a rare form of brain cancer

A man will run the London Marathon on the one-year anniversary of his wife's death, raising money for a cancer charity.

Christopher Jones, who lives in Cambridge, will run on Sunday in memory of Paula Heister, who died from an aggressive form of brain cancer.

The 39-year-old, who is running for Brain Tumour Research, has raised nearly £10,000 for the charity, as he prepares to take on the 26.2-mile (42.2km) event.

"Paula was an incredibly vibrant person who was not afraid to try new things and expand her horizons, and so in that spirit I think she would approve," Christopher said.

Paula was born in Münsterlingen, Switzerland, and later came to the UK where she studied psychology, philosophy and physiology at St Hilda's College, Oxford.

She gained a doctorate in pharmacology and became president of the university's fencing club, where she met Christopher in 2009.

The pair married in 2023 and later emigrated from Cambridge to Vienna, Austria.

News imageChristopher Jones Paula is sitting on a chair next to a wooden fence which leads to a large glass area with several hedges and flowers. She has her hair, which is blonde, in an updo and has sunglasses resting on top of her head. She is wearing a red tartan shirt and is smiling.Christopher Jones
Christopher described his wife as an "incredibly vibrant person"

In February 2025, Paula suffered headaches and numbness in her arm.

She was diagnosed with glioblastoma and died two months later, aged 40.

Christopher said he started to run after his wife's passing, turning to Brain Tumour Research to see if the charity had any events he could participate in.

"I was looking for activities last November and I saw the marathon would be on the date of Paula's death," he added.

"It was too coincidental and too meaningful to not do something."

After expressing an interest, he found out he had secured a spot 48 hours later.

News imageChristopher Jones Paula is standing in a park which has snow settled on the grass and pathway. She is wearing a fluffy white hat, a black jumper and a coat with a brown fluffy collar. Christopher Jones
Christopher said Paula "would approve" of him running the marathon

More than 59,000 runners will be taking part in Sunday's event, which starts at Greenwich Park and ends on The Mall.

Ahead of the race, Christopher said: "There are a bit of nerves, but I am not that nervous as my head is in many different places."

He said friends and family would be attending in support.

"It's an opportunity for other people involved to have a slightly different environment to remember her [Paula]."

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