Sussex man running ten marathons ‘lost for words’ as fundraiser passes £19,000

Pete Grimwade, 34, challenged himself to wear a 10kg vest on every run with the goal of donating the cash to ten charities.

Pete, who lives in Uckfield with his wife Charlotte, decided to finish ten marathons following the death of his baby daughter Isabella, doing one run for each week she lived.

Speaking during his challenge on Tuesday, April 22, Pete said he is ‘lost for words’ that his JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/pete-grimwade has raised over £19,000.

He said: “I’m just blown away by the generosity of people.”

Pete’s first marathon was in Lewes on Good Friday, April 18, in aid of the British Heart Foundation. He called it ‘amazing’ with a supportive crowd, but he also said it was ‘really tough’ because it was the first one.

He said: “I think a lot of the training I’d done had prepared me for it but I wasn’t very prepared for the hills.”

“But it was great to get started,” he added.

The Haywards Heath marathon was on Easter Monday, April 21, in aid of 4Louis. Pete described the course as ‘tricky’ because of the uphill parts.

He said the challenge is going well so far and became ‘slightly emotional’ on Easter Monday, saying: “I was just realising the enormity of the task.”

But he said: “The support has been keeping me going every single time.”

Pete said his legs hurt and he is having to ‘dig deep’ to keep going. He added: “I’m feeling confident that I can push through.”

Pete and Charlotte’s baby daughter Isabella passed away in 2023. The couple had learned at Charlotte’s 20-week scan that Isabella would have health issues. They then found out at Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath that the baby had an irregularity with her heart and they were referred to Evelina London Children’s Hospital. They also found out Isabella had dextrocardia, with her heart being on the right side of her chest instead of the left.

Isabella was born on July 23, 2023, with several health issues, including the heart condition AVSD (atrioventricular septal defect), scoliosis, a cleft lip and a deformed ear. She was transferred to the Trevor Mann Baby Unit at Brighton’s Royal Sussex County Hospital. Two weeks before she died Isabella was moved to The Evelina Hospital in London as she was struggling to breathe and was eventually in heart failure. Doctors said Isabella needed pulmonary band surgery, which was a success. But the couple got a call at 1am on September 30, 2023, that said Isabella was in cardiac arrest and she died shortly after.

Pete, who was in ‘complete shock’ at the time, is now determined to complete ten marathons in ten consecutive days. Visit www.10mchallenge.co.uk.

Pete’s full list of marathons is:

Lewes: Friday, April 18, for British Heart Foundation.

Brighton: Saturday, April 19, for Bliss.

Crawley: Sunday, April 20, for Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Haywards Heath: Monday, April 21, for 4Louis.

Tunbridge Wells: Tuesday, April 22, for The Early Birth Association.

Tonbridge: Wednesday, April 23, for Goldenhar UK.

Hastings: Thursday, April 24, for CLAPA.

Eastbourne: Friday, April 25, for Samaritans.

Seaford: Saturday, April 26, for Sands.

The London Marathon: Sunday, April 27, for The Evelina Hospital.