Woman who lost husband to cancer dons wedding dress in marathon for a special reason — and we're sobbing

Grief rarely moves in a straight line — it winds through memories, through anniversaries that feel heavier than the days around them, through everyday moments that remind you of what once was. For Laura Coleman-Day, grief became something she decided to carry rather than outrun, and that led her to lace up her shoes for the London Marathon, wearing the same wedding dress she wore six years earlier, on what would have been her sixth wedding anniversary. She shared the video of the marathon on her Instagram page @12in12an.

On April 27, 2025, Coleman-Day completed her 13th marathon in a year-long challenge to raise money for Anthony Nolan — a UK charity that supports blood cancer research and stem cell transplants. It was a goal she set in memory of her husband, Xander, who passed away on February 10, 2024 — a little over a year from the marathon date. Her husband had post-transplant complications after a diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which, according to Cancer Research UK, is a rare form of cancer, accounting for less than 1% of all cancer cases in the UK. "They were doing a lot of research into post-transplant, and I didn’t want anybody else to go through what my son and I have gone through," Coleman-Day told the BBC.

After Xander’s diagnosis, Anthony Nolan helped find a stem cell donor for him — a woman from Germany whose donation gave them hope. Following her husband’s passing, Coleman-Day initially considered giving up marathon running but eventually decided to continue. In 2023, she had already run the London Marathon, raising nearly £9,000 (over $12,000) for Anthony Nolan. However, after losing Xander, she wanted to do more. "I decided that I would create a challenge to run 12 marathons in 12 months, starting with London," she shared in an interview with the TCS London Marathon.

When the London Marathon date for 2025 coincided with her wedding anniversary, she made a plan to change into her wedding dress during the race. She arranged for her two friends to meet her around mile 24, helping her slip into the gown and veil she had worn during her wedding to Xander. "I thought what better way to honor the day and honor him than crossing the line in my wedding dress," Coleman-Day said. She had also completed a "bonus" marathon earlier in April by running the Guernsey Marathon, making London her thirteenth race in a year. 

Speaking to the BBC before the London Marathon, she explained that the day would be challenging but meaningful. "I just can't wait. It's going to be really hard but also just such a massive achievement." The video shared on Instagram showed Coleman-Day crossing the finish line dressed in her wedding gown with her marathon bib pinned to the lace. She completed the 26.2-mile race thinking not only about the miles she had left behind but about the husband she had promised to remember and honor through every step. Reflecting on the experience after finishing her challenge, she said, "I never thought I'd ever get to this point. I thought I'd have given up. I don't recommend it."

You can follow Laura Coleman-Day (@12in12an) on Instagram for more updates about her journey.