A fund-raising page of a British woman who died during the London Marathon has gone viral, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from around the world have poured in.
Claire Squires, who collapsed during the race, was running for the Samaritans, a suicide-prevention charity,
"I'm running the London Marathon for Samaritans because they continuously support others," the 30-year-old wrote on her Just Giving page before her death.
According to the report, her older brother had died of an overdose and her mother, Priscilla, was a volunteer with the charity for 24 years.
After Squires’ tragic collapse, more than 37,000 people reached into their pockets for her cause.
By Tuesday morning, her page had collected more than $740,000 in donations.
Most were small pledges, between $5 and $20 as Squires’ cause became the talk of the town.
"Sincere condolences to Claire Squires' loved ones," billionaire Richard Branson, whose Virgin corporation sponsors the race, tweeted. “Wonderful to see such outpouring of giving to her Samaritans appeal.”
The Samaritans chief executive, Catherine Johnstone, told the Telegraph they were "overwhelmed by the response from people donating in Claire's memory."
"These donations will be put into a tribute fund and, following discussions with the family, will go toward projects they feel would have been important to Claire," she added.
Squires’ death is the 10th in the marathon’s 31-year history, The Guardian reported. Test results concerning her cause of death are expected to be released in the coming weeks.
“The organizers of the Virgin London Marathon would like to express their sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased,” the marathon wrote in a statement on its website.
