BTTC run the Brighton Marathon AND Half Marathon

Luke Rickett, Anwar Karimi, Ismail Ahmad-Adam, Letitia McMullan, Tim Holtam, Chris Pyke and David Holtam are running the Brighton Half Marathon on 25th Feb and also the Brighton Marathon or Brighton 10k on 7th April 2024 for the Brighton Table Tennis Club (BTTC). 

Over 20 BTTC youngsters will be taking part in the Brighton Miles event this Saturday 6th April in Preston Park. This community event will have table tennis, football and martial arts all available for people to try for free.

The Brighton Table Tennis Club is a Brighton charity founded in 2007 with the belief that table tennis can be used as a powerful tool to engage people of all ages and transform lives. The club runs over 200 tables across the city and has a full time centre in Kemptown. The club includes people with learning disabilities, people from traveller sites, Looked After Children, people with physical disabilities, the LGBT community and young asylum seekers. The youngest player is 2 and the oldest is 100.

In 2019 the club started to attend parkrun and loved it, with many of the club members running and volunteering. The table tennis club is now heavily involved in helping to set up a new junior parkrun in Queen's Park, Brighton.  

This year some of the BTTC are taking on the challenge of running the Brighton Half Marathon and full Marathon to raise money for the club to provide free after school clubs to local children and young people that have been identified by their schools as those who might have least access but would benefit most from playing and being part of the BTTC community.

Luke Rickett is a 19 year old who has been involved with BTTC for over 10 years. He recently won the ‘Care Leaver of the Year Award’ for Brighton & Hove. This video was made about his table tennis achievements and his recent award. He started coming to parkun 15 months ago and doesn't miss a week, also volunteering most Sundays at the junior parkrun. The Brighton Half Marathon will be Luke’s first half marathon and the Brighton Marathon will be the first time he will have ever run that far.

Anwar Karimi is a 46 year old Kurdish asylum seeker who has been in the UK for 15 months and has run 45 parkruns and volunteered 10 times at junior parkrun. He has recently been moved to London by the Home Office while he waits for his decision but has continued going to parkrun in Mile End. He misses his community and friends in Brighton and knows that running is great for connecting with people, places and helping improve mental health. 

Ismail Ahmed- Adam has only been in Brighton for 18 months and has recently been given his right to remain in the UK. He will running the Brighton Half Marathon.

Letitia McMullan, top 15 in England Senior Women at table tennis, will be running the Brighton Half Marathon and Brighton Marathon.

Tim Holtam, BTTC Director and keen parkrunner, will be running the Brighton Half Marathon and Brighton 10k. The first time he's ever run this far.

Chris Pyke and David Holtam, BTTC supporters, will both run the Brighton Half Marathon.

We are collectively trying to raise at least £2,000 that could support our after-school sessions for primary school children. Here, they play table tennis, learn about different foods and prepare a meal which everyone then sits down together to share. We prioritise children who have free school meals or who face other challenges. The sessions are free and without financial support from people like you, these players would not be able to access these opportunities. 

Thank you very much everyone, we will be running with purpose  💪🏼

Finally, massive thank you to the wonderfully supportive Enjoolata Foundation for agreeing to match fund the first £1,000 that we raise.