A 22-year-old Brigham Young University-Idaho student, returned missionary and newlywed died suddenly while running in his first marathon on Oct. 2 in St. George, Utah.

Hayden Holman had just finished talking to his mother, Judy Lowder, and asked her to take his picture as he crossed the finish line when he collapsed.

“He called his mom and said, ‘I’m almost there. Make sure you’re there to take my picture.’ He never came. He collapsed seconds after that phone call,” said Holman’s stepmother, Karin Holman.

Shortly after Hayden Holman collapsed, fellow runners tried to revive him and called an ambulance that took him to the hospital where he died.

“It’s been a difficult few days,” said Hayden Holman’s dad, Barry Holman. “It just doesn’t seem believable. It still doesn’t seem real.”

Lowder said that Hayden Holman was always on the go and athletic.

“He’s very active. He’s always doing things. He’s very competitive, and he’s just so healthy,” she said.

That’s why it’s so hard to understand why someone in such apparent good health would die so suddenly. An autopsy was performed on Hayden Holman, but it hasn’t revealed what caused him to die.

Hayden Holman’s wife, Charlotte Holman, said that she had spoken to him on her cellphone just moments before he died.

“He just sounded so happy. Hayden sounded so happy to be running,” she said.

Charlotte and Hayden Holman had met while the two served missions in Halifax, Canada. After Charlotte Holman returned to her native France and Hayden Holman returned to Sugar City, the two kept in touch. Charlotte later headed to Rexburg to attend BYU-Idaho. The pair dated for about five months before getting married at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Rexburg Temple in February.

Hayden Holman graduated from Bonneville High School in 2018. There he excelled in sports and wrestled for the Bees. He also enjoyed hiking the Tetons with his brothers.

In 2019 Hayden Holman left for his mission.

“Hayden loved being a missionary. He was very proud to wear the missionary badge and represent his Savior,” Karin Holman said.

Hayden always thought of others, and his mom noted how one of the last things he did was to buy his concert pianist wife, Charlotte Holman, a piano. He did so on Friday.

“Charlotte speaks like five languages. Our sweet Hayden was so proud of her talents and loved to brag about her. He just bought her a piano, an old upright. My husband and Hayden went and picked it up on Friday. Charlotte has that last gift from him. We’ve had so many tears,” Lowder said.

While the Lowder-Holman families say that they don’t understand how someone so young and so full of life could be taken from them, they say that they do understand their gospel and are leaning on that.

“There’s no other reason why he’s gone. He was healthy as a horse and never had any health problems. For some reason he was called back. That’s the only reason why he’s not with us anymore,” said Barry Holman.

Karin Holman said she believes Hayden’s spirit is with his earthly family.

“I have felt peace. We know his spirit is near,” she said.

A GoFundMe account, which has already surpassed its goal of $15,000, has been set up. To donate, visit gofund.me/ef44a496.