Marine tackling 60 marathons in 60 days for charity

A Royal Marine who is running 60 marathons in 60 days will complete his gruelling charity challenge will run through Helensburgh this month.

Lance Corporal Luke Grainger has been running the length and breadth of the country for the Royal Marines Charity.

And he will be running a marathon route through Helensburgh alongside a small team of Royal Marines from Faslane-based 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group on October 26.

Four days later his challenge will be completed at the Spean Bridge Commando Memorial, the ancestral home of the wartime commandos who trained at nearby Achnacarry during the Second World War.

There will be a seven-mile speed march to the monument where more than 200 commandos and members of the Royal Marines Association will be gathered.

“I will be extremely proud of myself if I am able to complete this challenge and still be in one piece,” said Luke, who is based with Commando Logistic Regiment in Devon.

“I’ve never done any sort of ultra-running before, having only ever completed three marathons prior to the start. I have learnt a lot about myself and I am now fully aware of what I am capable of.”

The Helensburgh leg of the challenge will begin at 9am at Colquhoun Square and follow a 5.3-mile loop. Those involved are seeking support from members of the public to help raise cash for the charity.

The marathon adventures began at Land’s End at the start of September and has seen Luke and Warrant Officer 2 Anthony Newson run with all commando and reserve units throughout Britain.

Now it is 43 Commando’s turn to be involved in the challenge which is helping mark 80 years since the Royal Marines took up the role of the commandos during the Second World War.

Sergeant Major Alex Heath from 43 Commando will be one of the team running the marathon alongside Luke.

He said: “This is a fantastic way to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Royal Marines Commandos, and to raise awareness and funds for the Royal Marine Charity.

“LCpl Grainger’s achievements are amazing, by the end of the challenge we will have run 1,572 mile, enough to run from Helensburgh to Rome.”