Bereaved Milton Keynes woman to run first marathon in memory of late partner

A bereaved Milton Keynes woman is running her first marathon in memory of her late partner.

Cristina Pompa is taking on the MK Marathon, on May 1, in aid of Papyrus Prevention Suicide after her partner Harry Wilmin, took his life a year ago, aged 26.

Cristina’s crowdfunding target of £500 has more than quadrupled thanks to family and the many friends of the couple.

Harry was well known for his love for his local football team the MK Dons – a passion which extended to his home city where he was affectionately known as ‘Mr MK’.

Cristina explained: “Harry loved MK it was his biggest passion! He was born and bred here and just was its biggest supporter and would always defend the city he lived.

“He worked for Milton Keynes City Council in the communications team and would often be out supporting and promoting things going on in MK.

“He would get involved as much as he could for his city and would have been so proud of the city status being granted last year.

“His biggest and greatest passion was the MK Dons football team.”

Harry was also a keen runner, taking up the sport in lockdown and often encouraging Cristina to join him for short runs around the area.

Now, after Harry’s passing, Cristina has adopted the sport to help her cope with her loss.

She said: “The grief and sadness can be so deep and overwhelming at times. Harry was an amazing person, so kind, generous, easy going and so loved and his loss has been very hard. I started running again a couple months after Harry passed and then would join my local park runs, eventually I started building my distance up and it's helped me mentally get through the hard days.”

Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50 and, figures show, three out of four people who commit suicide are men.

Papyrus Prevention Suicide offers a helpline for people to call, text or email if they are struggling with suicidal thoughts or for those concerned about a loved one.

Visit Cristina’s crowdfunding page to donate to her cause.