Salisbury man to run the London Marathon as a phonebox

Sid will be taking to the streets of London dressed as the iconic red telephone box, all in support of Muscular Dystrophy UK. He is hoping to raise a fantastic £5,900 for the charity, which helps funds research into treatments for rare, life-limiting muscle-wasting conditions and supports the 110,000 children and adults across the UK affected by these conditions.

Sid is taking on the huge challenge of the London Marathon in support of his brother, Rob, aged 51, who was diagnosed with myotonic dystrophy, a rare muscle-wasting condition in 2002.

Sid said: “I’m inspired every day by my brother. He doesn’t complain and yet he’s been through so much, including battling cancer twice.

“I want to raise as much awareness as possible, as well as vital funds to support research because there is still very little known about myotonic dystrophy, as so few people have the condition.”

Myotonic dystrophy is a genetic condition that causes progressive muscle weakness and wasting. It typically affects muscles of movement and commonly the electrical conduction system of the heart, breathing muscles, swallowing muscles, bowels, lenses of the eye, and the brain. All of Sid’s fundraising will be restricted to support research into myotonic dystrophies.

Sid explained: “Rob’s condition means that he can’t do things like hold a coffee cup, do his belt up, or get out of the bath unassisted. He had to wear a sign in the pub saying ‘Sorry, I’m not drunk but I do fall over occasionally because of my condition’ as there is a huge lack of understanding among many people.”

This will be Sid’s fourth time taking part in the iconic London Marathon and he feels extremely lucky to be taking part in the special event for such a worthy cause. He said: “I just love everything about the marathon, I’m blown away every time by the support of the amazing crowds and taking in all the atmosphere and seeing the emotion and passion of the runners.”

Having previously run in the telephone box costume in 2014, while running for Mind, and having bagged himself a Guinness World Record in the process, Sid knows what he’s letting himself in for.

Thankfully, his training has been going well, even if he’s had a couple of funny stares while practicing in his costume. Sid said, “Learning to run like a penguin again is painful and I have had the occasional person looking at me with open mouth and the odd dog and horse give me a wide berth.”

To support Sid you can head to his online fundraising page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Sid-Keyte7

Kiera Santry, Challenge Events Manager for Muscular Dystrophy UK, said: “Running the London Marathon is a monumental life achievement and a truly courageous thing to do – particularly with the additional challenge of a big heavy costume! Before even reaching the start line, runners must find the determination to dedicate months of the year to demanding training plans and work hard to reach and exceed their fundraising target.

“We are so grateful to Sid for choosing to raise funds and awareness of myotonic dystrophies on behalf of Muscular Dystrophy UK, which will help us continue supporting and improving the lives of thousands of families living with rare muscle-wasting conditions.

“We wish Sid and all our other London Marathon runners the very best of luck with this challenge – and we’ll be supporting every step of the way.”

You can find out more about Muscular Dystrophy UK here - https://www.musculardystrophyuk.org/