Husband honors Trisha Paddock, wife who died after LA Marathon race by running in this year’s race

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. (KABC) — The husband of a woman who collapsed and died of a heart attack in last year’s Los Angeles Marathon will honor her memory by competing in this year’s race.

Trisha Paddock, 46, was loved and appreciated by her family. They were heartbroken and wracked with grief when she completed a half marathon and died last year.

Her husband Ryan Paddock said his wife proudly finished the race before collapsing and dying in hospital. In her honor, the 44-year-old plans to run his first half marathon at the LA Marathon on Sunday.

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“She knows for a fact that I’m running,” he told Eyewitness News.

Paddock will be wearing a specially designed shirt with his wife’s name on the front and the number she wore at last year’s race on the back. He said he knew she would be cheering him on from heaven as he ran.

Paddock added that although his wife was perfectly healthy when she ran the half marathon — something she’d done countless times before — God was calling her home.

So if he runs on Sunday it won’t be about winning or keeping up when his wife appeared before the tragedy. It will be a moment to run, cry, laugh and reflect on the love of his life and the legacy she left to him and their three children.

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Justin Brown, 49, met Paddock on a plane a few months after Paddock lost his wife. He shared the tragic story with Brown, who was so heartbroken that he flew in from Texas this weekend to join him in honoring his wife at the half marathon.

“How could I not come and run with him and help him through this time and know it’s coming for the one year anniversary,” Brown said.

Paddock said he will take it slow and steady to finish the race.

“She had the perfect ending to her life. We always describe life as a marathon. She ran a marathon and died at the finish line.”