Luke's Paris Marathon run for St Michael's

Luke’s Paris Marathon run for St Michael’s

Hospice supporter Luke Sweetman crosses the channel this Autumn to take part in the Paris Marathon.

For Luke though, just getting to the start line has been a journey in itself.

A couple of years ago, after discovering he was going to be a dad, he set himself a fitness plan with the aim of getting into shape in time for fatherhood.

‘I made the decision to lose weight as I wanted to be healthy and fit for the arrival of my baby boy, so I started a journey of healthy eating and running,’ he says. 

His hard work paid off and Luke dropped almost four-stone on his way to completing the Cardiff Half Marathon in October 2019.

During this time his grandad, Dave Gray, suffered a stroke just before his 75th birthday. He spent several weeks in and out of hospital before being moved to St Michael’s. He died at the Hospice in the summer of 2019.

‘I can’t thank St Michael’s enough, from the calming environment, the friendly faces and the invaluable support,’ added Luke. ‘They didn’t just help my grandad, they helped our entire family and I’ll be forever grateful.’

Luke said he wanted to find a way to thank St Michael’s for the care his family received, so with his new-found love for running he decided to push himself further than ever before by entering the Paris Marathon, collecting sponsorship for his Hospice by doing so. 

What Luke, nor anyone, could have envisaged though was the Covid pandemic which twice forced the event’s cancellation in 2020. They’ll try again on 17th October.

You can sponsor Luke by clicking here https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lukesweetman