On Sunday 12 April 2026, Keith took on his first ever marathon, in Brighton, raising funds for Foothold in the process. Keith shares his experience in his own words

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My Brighton marathon story – years in the making

The Brighton Marathon on Sunday 12th April was my first and possibly only marathon (I am 64 years old).

I had previously run a handful of half marathons several years ago but following a knee injury sustained during the pandemic times which for various reasons was not resolved, I stopped running.

I only started running again in November last year, when a talented physiotherapist solved the problem, I bought some new trainers and was fortunate enough to get a place in the Brighton Marathon through Foothold.

Making it to the start (and finish!) line

400 miles later, with a lot of support from my wife, I got to the start line last Sunday. I found the race very challenging and thought at one point I wasn’t going to make it round, but I did, with the support of the family and the fantastic crowds.

I am very happy that I managed to exceed my fundraising target, thanks to my generous sponsors. I believe it is a great charity that is doing important work.

Engineering touches every part of people’s lives but engineers themselves often go below the radar and do not reach out if they are in trouble.

I was very grateful for the friendly support without pressure from the Foothold team through my marathon and fundraising journey.

You can see Keith’s Brighton Marathon fundraising page here

Fundraising for Foothold – why it matters

I would highly recommend to anyone considering undertaking a challenge to raise funds for Foothold if possible.

The smaller charities such as Foothold can sometimes miss out to the larger ones but the recently published impact report shows how much value it returns.

You can see Foothold’s latest Impact Report here

A thank you from the Foothold team

After his knee injury. we know how much of a journey it has been for Keith to feel confident enough to take on a challenge of this scale.

We kept an eye on the results on the day of the Brighton Marathon and were delighted to see he’d achieved his goal and reached the finish line!

We are incredibly grateful for Keith’s efforts on behalf of Foothold. The funds he raised will help directly improve the lives of engineers and their families who need it most.

We don’t receive any funds from IET membership subscriptions or the government, so the support we are able to provide is only possible thanks to people like Keith who choose to donate or fundraise on our behalf.

If you would like to fundraising on Foothold’s behalf, make a direct donation, or support Foothold’s work in another way (such as leaving a gift in your will) you can find our more here