On July 31, we woke up to the sad news of the death of Sylvain Guintoli’s son. At just six years old, Luca lost the battle against leukemia that had been diagnosed just a year before. Now, the French pilot has set out to complete a beautiful feat in tribute to the latter, participating in the famous London Marathon.
Sylvain Guintoli always ready to help
Months before Luca’s death, Sylvain Guintoli’s equipment was auctioned to a charitable cause to fight childhood cancer. From a short-sleeved t-shirt, to his helmet and overalls, but also the gloves, boots, sweatshirt and jacket of the charismatic French pilot.
Now it has been proposed to go one step further, as recently published by MCN colleagues. Apparently “Sylvain Guintoli will run the London Marathon in racing clothes in memory of his son Luca”. She will also do so with her two eldest daughters and will open a fundraising campaign in favor of the cancer charity, PASIC.
Regarding the latter, the pilot commented in a recent interview with the British media: “They were a great help to him, but also to us as a family; a wonderful group of people. They were there at all times and continue to help us.” Regarding the challenge he intends to face, he announced on his personal Instagram account:
“I’ve signed up to run the 2026 London Marathon in memory of my Luca. And I’ll be doing it in my racing uniform! Challenge accepted to raise awareness and funds for PASIC, a fantastic childhood cancer charity. Link in bio or swipe left to see the QR code and support. Any contribution will be greatly appreciated.”
He later explained in his statements: “We’ll probably take out all the airbags and stuff. We’ll try to drill them to make them as painless as possible, but even then, it’ll be a complete set of leather. I have a lot of training to do because I’m not a runner. On social media you see people running marathons everywhere. So it’s almost becoming normalized, but running a marathon is not normal. It’s a long road, right?”
He concludes by talking about his son and urging people to collaborate with this good cause: “Luca was incredible. He never complained. He was so brave and resilient. So I guess doing this is, in a way, a tribute to him.” More information and details to donate to Sylvain Guintoli’s challenge, by clicking on this link.
