Nam Kiong Chan (ENGG 1977), right, coaching an autistic child in his homeland of Malaysia.

Ethiopian podoconiosis patient Gadana Gata receives treatment. Image: Mossy Foot International.

Thirty-five years after graduating from Sussex, Nam Kiong Chan (ENGG 1977) travelled from Malaysia to run this year’s Brighton Marathon.

He found it so inspiring that he has decided to return in 2017 to run again, and we are offering free places and a unique support package for alumni, staff and students to join him in running to help sufferers of podoconiosis, or podo as it is known, most of whom can’t walk, let alone run.

Looking back, he said: “I can still recall many happy memories during my time at Sussex. As a non-athletic student, I could not have imagined that I would come back this year at the age of 59 to run the Brighton Marathon.

“Running through the streets of Brighton and along the beach brought back wonderful and nostalgic memories of Sussex, and how I enjoyed my weekends as a student”.

Get prepared with the help of a former pro marathon runner and a pasta party reunion on campus

As a thank you to everyone taking part and supporting our Preventing Podo campaign, we will be offering a training programme developed by a former top UK marathon runner.

There will also be a chance to take on vital carbs at a pre-marathon pasta party reunion on campus the night before, and all participants will receive a unique Sussex Preventing Podo t-shirt to take away.

And, of course, there will be plenty of Sussex non-runners there to cheer you on!

The Brighton Marathon is one of the UK’s largest running events, with approximately 16,000 runners participating in 2015. The 2017 marathon will take place on Sunday 17 April.

Prefer a shorter distance?

Alumni, staff and students will also have the chance to take part in the BM10k, a ten kilometre race which serves as the curtain raiser for the main event.

We are encouraging alumni and friends to sign up without delay as places must be booked by April 2016.

Podo is 100% treatable

Podoconiosis affects three million people in Ethiopia alone and costs the country an estimated $208 million per year in lost productivity. Yet the disease is entirely preventable and treatable – and it costs just £15 to treat a patient for a whole year.

World leading research at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School is helping to establish the most effective way of tackling podo – now we need your help to reach hundreds of thousands of patients who have never received care before.

Nam Kiong hopes that the marathon will inspire Sussex alumni, staff and students to join forces to run and support each other in 2017 to raise as much as we can:

“This is one of Brighton’s biggest sporting events and provides a good reason for members of the alumni community to return and re-connect with fellow alumni.

“Running transcends colour and age, and I hope that other alumni runners and spectators, particularly those based outside of the UK, will take this opportunity to re-visit Sussex and help a truly worthy cause”.

Every penny you raise will go towards helping podo patients.

If you would like to run the Brighton Marathon or the BM10K in support of podoconiosis research at Sussex, please contact: b.loxton@sussex.ac.uk