Father to run 10 marathons in 10 days wearing 10kg vest in memory of daughter

A father is to run 10 marathons in 10 days while wearing a 10kg vest in memory of his baby daughter, who died from a heart condition.

Pete Grimwade, 34, from Uckfield in East Sussex, is taking on his challenge to honour his daughter, Isabella, who died at 10 weeks old in September 2023 from a cardiac arrest, with the number 10 representing the 10 weeks of Isabella’s life.

The progressions manager at an IT firm will be running 10 consecutive marathons starting in Lewes on Friday and finishing with the London Marathon on April 27 all while raising money for 10 charities which supported Mr Grimwade and his wife, Charlotte, through their daughter’s short life.

He said the challenge has given him a “new sense of purpose” after he attempted suicide months after Isabella’s death.

“Isabella passed away and wasn’t able to live her life. After I attempted to take my own (life), I realised I’ve got a chance here to live my life and live my best life for Isabella,” Mr Grimwade told the PA news agency.

“I hit rock bottom in December 2023, so not long after Isabella passed away.

“Since then, I’ve been struggling with a bit of a purpose, and this challenge has kind of given me a new sense of purpose.”

He will be wearing a vest weighing 10kg to represent the “heaviness” of losing a child.

“The 10kg vest is almost like carrying the burden of a bereaved parent, the loss and the heaviness of losing your child,” he said.

Isabella was born on July 23 2023, with various health conditions, including atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD), which are large holes in the wall or chambers of the heart.

She was also born with scoliosis, Tessier cleft lip, ear and jaw deformities and was diagnosed with Goldenhar syndrome, a rare bone condition affecting the face and sometimes the back.

One of the charities Mr Grimwade is supporting is the British Heart Foundation (BHF) after it provided him and his wife with “so much information and support guidance around Isabella’s heart condition”.

“I wanted to give back to the charities that supported us throughout the time we were in hospital with our daughter,” he said.

He is also raising money for smaller charities, such as Goldenhar UK, which provides information and guidance about the condition, and CLAPA – Cleft Lip and Palate Association – which supports people born with cleft lips.

Isabella was transferred from the Royal Sussex Hospital to Evelina London Children’s Hospital, where she underwent heart surgery but died on September 30 2023 from cardiac arrest, which Mr Grimwade described as “the worst feeling in the world for parents”.

“No one ever expects to have to say goodbye to their child, but also no one ever expects to watch their child die in front of you,” he said.

He said he does not consider himself “much of a runner” but said training for eight months to run long has helped to process his feelings of grief.

“For me, it’s been a form of therapy in terms of letting my feelings out and just pushing my body and my mental ability to its limits,” he said.

Mr Grimwade mapped out nine of his 10 marathons across Sussex and Kent, and will begin in Lewes, East Sussex, followed by Brighton, Crawley, Haywards Heath, Heathfield, Tonbridge, Hastings, Eastbourne and Seaford.

The final leg of his challenge will be at the London Marathon.

He hopes his experience will provide a sense of hope for parents going through similar hardships.

“I think there is always hope in life. There’s always hope of something else or something more,” he said.

“We have to kind of build upon that idea of we can rebuild and move forward.”

The charities Mr Grimwade will be running for are BHF, Bliss, Ronald McDonald House, 4Louis, The Early Birth Association, Goldenhar UK, CLAPA, Samaritans, Sands, and The Evelina London Children’s Hospital.