WAYNE Ewens had the news on in the background when a story was reported about a Royal Marine who had been killed in Afghanistan.

Then came the name – Sergeant Luke Taylor – one of his best friends.

Wayne and Luke met in around 1997 when they were both signallers with the Marines.

Wayne had been with the Marines since 1995 and Luke was the next ‘new boy’.

They were thrown together and hit it off straight away.

“He had a permanent smile and a really good sense of humour,” says Wayne who lives in Lowford, near Hamble with his wife and one year old son.

“You always wanted to be around him because he made your day.”

After spending two years working together their careers went in different directions, with Wayne training to become a telecommunications technician, repairing radios, while Luke remained a signaller.

When Wayne left the Marines in 2002 they lost touch for a few years but met by chance again at a triathlon which they were both competing in.

They began seeing each other regularly and decided to compete in an ‘ironman’ competition together – a long distance triathlon, in which competitors swim 2.4 miles, cycle 112 miles and complete a marathon run.

But that all changed on April 26 last year, when Luke was shot by a rogue Afghan soldier at the main British base in Helmand.

Wayne says that when he heard the news at first he didn’t accept it.

“You go into denial for a bit,” says the 35-year-old.

“You don’t want it to be anyone but you really don’t want it to be someone you know well. Then a photo came up and confirmed what I already knew – that it was our Luke. It was devastating. I don’t often cry but tears were spilt.”

Wayne admits that Luke’s death made him realise that the same thing could have happened to him.

“There have been times when I’ve wanted to go back in and been to the careers office to discuss it but I’m grateful I didn’t because it’s a different life now,” he says.

“I did seven years and if I did that now I’d probably do five Afghanistan tours and two of Iraq. You look at Luke – we had similar career paths and that easily could have been me stood on that gate. It makes you feel thankful that you are still here.” It was at last year’s Remembrance Day that Wayne decided he wanted to fundraise in Luke’s name. The pair had agreed to do an ‘ironman’ competition together so Wayne came up with the idea of doing a double distance race, so that he was completing it for himself and Luke.

“I wanted to do it with his wife Niki’s consent and to raise money for a charity of her choice,” he says.

“I managed to track her down and she was happy for me to do it and chose the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund because she says that they have been a massive help to her and her young son.”

Wayne signed up for the Double Enduroman Ultra triathlon in Bransgore, Dorset, on June 1, a double ironman distance race. He will be swimming 4.8 miles, cycling 232 miles and running a double marathon.

He was already fit, regularly competing in triathlons, but has had to step up his training hugely for this competition.

“One week I might do a 100 mile cycle, a 50 mile cycle and a 20 mile run, which I fit around work and my family,” he says.

“I work as a process operator at Esso and do 12 hour shifts over two days and two nights and then have four days off so it’s easier to fit my training schedule around that.

“I do 20 to 35 hours training a week.

“Sometimes I come off a nightshift and go straight for a run – once you get going you get into it.

“When I’m doing a ten-hour training ride and get a bit bored I check myself and say ‘Luke would have given anything to be here now riding up and down a cycle path’. It gives me more inspiration and drives me on for what I’m trying to achieve.”

Wayne hopes he will complete the Enduroman race in less than 30 hours, which could be a winning time, but he just wants to complete it.

“I don’t mind if I come last,” he says.

“I’ve just got to finish it in Luke’s name.”

  • Wayne is hoping to raise £3000 for the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund. To make a donation, visit justgiving.com/wayneewens4luke or text WELT78 with the amount to 70070. You can follow @wayneewens on Twitter to keep up with his training.