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Father runs 10 marathons in 10 days for daughter

Mandy de Souza
BBC News, South East
Pete Grimwade Pete Grimwade pictured sitting down holding his baby daughter, Isabella, in his arms, looking down at her while she looks up at himPete Grimwade
Pete Grimwade from Uckfield, with baby Isabella

A father is taking on a challenge of running 10 marathons, in 10 consecutive days, wearing a 10kg (22lb) vest - in memory of the daughter he lost at 10-weeks-old.

Pete Grimwade, from Uckfield in East Sussex, is raising money for the 10 charities that supported him and his wife, Charlotte, through his baby girl's short life.

Isabella was born on 23 July, 2023 after a difficult pregnancy - with multiple health problems, including a heart condition called AVSD, a cleft lip and an ear deformity.

Mr Grimwade said: "I'd always wanted to be a dad and when she arrived I was elated - we had brought this beautiful girl into the world in the face of all these challenges."

Pete Grimwade Pete Grimwade and his wife, Charlotte with baby Isabella in Pete's arms, in a close up shotPete Grimwade
Pete Grimwade and his wife, Charlotte with baby Isabella

Isabella was moved to the Trevor Mann baby unit in Brighton and the couple were told she would need heart surgery when she was 6 months old.

But after a few weeks she went into heart failure and was transferred to the Evelina London Children's Hospital for an emergency operation.

The surgery was a success and Isabella's breathing improved.

It looked like a positive outcome.

Pete Grimwade Pete Grimwade standing with his wife Charlotte in hospital- with baby Isabella wrapped in a pink blanket in an incubatorPete Grimwade
Pete Grimwade and his wife Charlotte with baby Isabella in hospital

But in the middle of the night, Isabella went into cardiac arrest, and the couple were called to the hospital as medics tried to resuscitate her.

She passed away on 30 September at 02:00.

"It was devastating - a parent's worse nightmare come true", Mr Grimwade said.

"Part of our life was taken away and we felt so lost."

Shortly after his daughter's death, Mr Grimwade attempted suicide, and remembers the support one charity gave him through that dark time.

"In the lowest point of my life, struggling to come to terms with what had happened, the Samaritans were there for me - I would not be here today without them."

Mr Grimwade's 10-marathon challenge will raise money for all 10 charities that supported the family through Isabella's life and after her passing - including Ronald McDonald House, which gave the couple a place to live near the hospital to be close to her.

Mr Grimwade said: "These charities helped us through the most difficult time, when we didn't know where to turn."

Pete Grimwade Pete Grimwade in his marathon running gear of blue, longsleeved top, black shorts and pink trainers, wearing his 10kg pack strapped to his chest - standing in a field Pete Grimwade
Pete Grimwade in his marathon running gear, wearing his 10kg pack

Mr Grimwade added: "Some people think I'm a bit crazy for doing it, but it's given me a purpose, to look forward to the future, and a way of remembering Isabella's 10 week life."

Mr Grimwade has organised nine of the marathons himself, starting in Lewes on April 18, followed by Brighton, Crawley, Haywards Heath, Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Hastings, Eastbourne, and Seaford.

The final leg will take place at The London Marathon on 27 April.

The 10 charities he's fundraising for are:

  • The Samaritans
  • Ronald McDonald House
  • The British Heart Foundation
  • 4Louis
  • The Evelina London Children's Hospital
  • Sands
  • Goldenhar UK
  • Bliss
  • The Early Birth Association
  • CLAPA

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