A 23-YEAR-OLD man who died after running the Brighton Marathon has been named locally as Sam Harper Brighouse.

Mr Harper Brighouse, believed to be from Forest Hill, collapsed 16 miles into the race on Sunday and died later in hospital.

The Sheffield University graduate had set up a JustGiving page before the race to raise cash for the charity Arms Around The Child.

He had set a fundraising target of £500, but as news of the tragedy spread, the total rocketed - hitting £2,372 by Monday afternoon.

Friends and fellow competitors paid tribute to him on the website.

One wrote: "May someone gain from the effort that sadly took your life. RIP."

Paying tribute today, his father Richard told the Evening Standard: "He loved sport. He trained really hard and was as fit as a fiddle. We are mystified, he has always been into sports like football and basketball and was very healthy.

“We went as a family to watch the marathon. He had a tracker on but it stopped working half-way through the race. We thought the tracker had failed but then received a call at the finishing line saying he had collapsed. We just cannot believe it. We are devastated.

“The emergency services and hospital did all they could.”

A spokesman for organisers of the marathon said: "It is with regret that we can confirm that a competitor collapsed and later died competing in the Brighton Marathon.

"Our emergency plans were put in place and he was treated at the scene by senior doctors, nurses and paramedics before being taken by ambulance to hospital.

"Despite receiving immediate attention, the runner was later declared dead at the Royal Sussex County Hospital."

He added: "We at Grounded Events, the organisers of the Brighton Marathon, would like to express our sincere condolences to family and friends of the deceased."

To donate visit his fundraising page.