Thomas Young is running 46 half-marathons in memory of his late son

Thomas Young decided to take on the challenge after his son Jaxon died at six-weeks-old

A father is running 46 half-marathons dressed as Superman in memory of his six-week-old son.

Thomas Young's son Jaxon died in May while being treated in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at St Michael's Hospital in Bristol.

Mr Young, from Weston-super-Mare, plans to run a half-marathon every week for 46 weeks to raise money for the NICU's charity Cots for Tots.

"The number 46 marks the 46 days we had with Jaxon," said Mr Young.

Mr Young said he and his wife were expecting "everything to be fine" when their son was born in April but he was soon taken to the NICU.

'Tragedy happened'

"Within 10 to 15 minutes of Jaxon being born they were looking after him tirelessly," he said.

While in hospital, Mr Young, who started running during lockdown, told his son he would someday take him on one of his half-marathons.

"I told Jaxon that when we would leave the hospital, I would take him along with me in his pushchair during my next half-marathon, dressed in my Superman suit," he added.

However, Mr Young said "tragedy happened" and Jaxon died on 14 May.

Mr Young said that although he is dressed as Superman, the nurses and staff at the NICU are the "real superheroes"

Mr Young said he wanted to "give something back" to the hospital which had supported him and his family from "the get go".

He said raising money for "an extremely amazing cause" had helped with the grieving process.

"It's a massive distraction for me. It keeps me focused and gets me outside," said Mr Young.

"It's nice, you get the fresh air and you can smell the plants. You take those things for granted.

"When you're inside the hospital, it's a massive time vortex. It's like time doesn't exist," he added.

Mr Young said the challenge has helped with the grieving process

On advice for any parents who have lost a child, Mr Young said reaching out for support from family, friends and charities has helped.

He has also signed-up for football for bereaved parents through charity Sands Bristol, so he can talk to other dads who "have gone through the same".

"Although I'm dressed as a superhero, the nurses and the teams working at NICU are the real superheroes," he said.

"They're just incredible people and I think unless you need it, you won't know about the hard work that they do," added Mr Young.

He has already raised more than his original target of £1,500.

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