Sylvain Guintoli to run the 2026 London Marathon in his racing suit in memory of his son Luca

The memory of Luca Guintoli will also reach the London Marathon on April 26. His father Sylvain will take part in the event in honor of his little boy. The special twist is that he’ll do it in his racing suit! But there’s also a more concrete message: raising funds for PASIC. It’s a UK charity that provides emotional, practical, financial, and social support to families of children and young people with cancer in the East Midlands, with support workers based at Nottingham Children’s Hospital and Leicester Royal Infirmary.

“I haven’t lost my mind—at least not entirely, for now.” Sylvain Guintoli opens with a joke in a social video to explain a new initiative he’ll be part of. “I’ve signed up for the 2026 London Marathon in memory of my Luca.” With a short social video (below), he spreads the word about the event he’ll tackle next April. “I’ve taken on this challenge to raise awareness and funds for PASIC, an incredible charity for children with cancer.” The association had a close relationship with the Guintoli family, as he later explains, while recalling the heartbreaking farewell to his little boy. “My son Luca passed away from cancer in July. He was the most extraordinary 6-year-old you could ever meet. After the diagnosis, received a year earlier, Luca had to undergo the most aggressive treatments available—it was devastating.”

“PASIC has been by Luca’s and our family’s side from the very beginning, helping us along the way,” reads the dedicated page by Sylvain Guintoli. “I’m taking on this challenge together with my daughters Alicia and Layla to honor our Luca, who was so brave and resilient in facing this terrible disease. This cause means a lot to me, and I’m grateful for every donation. Together we can ensure that no family in the East Midlands faces childhood cancer alone.” This isn’t the first initiative of its kind for children with cancer: for example, we recall the one involving Jake Dixon at the Silverstone GP with a helmet dedicated to little Luca, later auctioned to raise funds for charitable associations.

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