A BEAUTIFUL run up and down Caterham's hills raised more than £11,000 in memory of a much-missed father of twins who died suddenly at the age of 30.
Phil Standing was playing cricket with colleagues at Lords on June 28 last year when he collapsed and suffered a seizure. His colleagues attempted to revive him, but he died of a heart attack a short time later in hospital.
On Saturday, almost a year since he died, 100 friends and family ran over 10km, in blissful sunshine, to remember him and raise money for charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY).
His wife Kate, 32, from Caterham Valley, was among the runners who set out from the Harrow Inn on Stanstead Road to pound the paths and pavements.
"It was a really special day," she said. "It was amazing being with everybody, and a lot of people I hadn't seen since the funeral. So many people wanted to do it, even though a lot of them weren't runners."
The couple's identical twin boys, Ben and Oliver, who will be three in September, were chief among the many supporters. They have also been key to helping Kate cope with her tragic loss over the last 12 months.
"I have had the support of amazing family and amazing friends," she said. "And the fact that I have to get up every morning to look after the boys, you just do it. If it was just me on my own, I think it would be quite different."
The run took in a beauty spot very special to the family – Caterham viewpoint on Gravelly Hill, where the couple would take the boys as babes in arms.
"We could walk up there through the woods from our house," said Kate. "I remember going up there, it must have been the week before Phil died. We had a lovely afternoon up there, having a picnic, just the four of us. It is a beautiful view, and Phil loved the outdoors."
A memorial bench was placed at the same spot last Friday.
Mr Standing worked for Ernst and Young and was on secondment with Lloyds bank when he died.
A keen sportsman, he was apparently fit and healthy. Doctors had diagnosed high cholesterol, but it was not a major concern.
When friends and family launched the fun run, Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) was the obvious charity.
"We wanted to raise awareness, raise money and get people thinking, get people looking after themselves," said Kate. "I'd just like to thank everybody who came."
To donate go to http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com and search for fundraiser Krishna Manek.
