Whassonnnn!

Going to keep this as tactile as possible. I'm Luke, 32 years old and I’m running the Black Country to Birmingham half marathon on July 4th 2026 to raise money for a charity called Little Hearts Matter.

For those who don’t know, I was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, a rare congenital heart condition where the left side of my heart never properly developed. In simple terms, I was born with half a working heart. So it seems only right I can give back to a charity to continue helping kids who are like me.

As a child, I underwent three open heart surgeries, including my Fontan procedure in 1998 at just 4 years old. Because of those surgeries, my circulation works differently to most people’s. I only have one main pumping chamber and no left ventricle, meaning my body has to rely heavily on pressure and movement to keep blood flowing properly around my lungs and body. Because of this, my oxygen saturation levels sit around 82–87% at rest, something that would normally send most people to hospital.

This run is not about being the fastest. It’s about proving that difficult beginnings do not have to define the rest of your life.

If my story can encourage even one person to attempt something difficult, then every painful training session will be worth it.

I also want to acknowledge my beautiful girlfriend, Šarlota, who will be running this alongside me. Training for something like this is hard enough already, and I honestly couldn’t ask for a better person to have beside me through it all. She has continuously bought out the best in me and I know for a fact I would not be doing this without her.

Thank you for any support, whether it be a quid, sharing this post, or even just a kind message. I genuinely appreciate you all.

Whether I run, walk or crawl, we will get there!

Feel free to drop me a follow on Instagram or follow along my Strava, and if you have any questions feel free to drop me a message.