At Fordway, we are always amazed by the incredible feats our team members achieve outside of the office. While we know our staff for their technical expertise and dedication to our clients, many of them bring that exact same drive, energy, and passion to supporting powerful causes in their spare time.
Kicking off our Charity Champions series, we are thrilled to spotlight Darren Robinson. Darren is well known among the team for his love of running and fitness challenge events, and he recently pushed his limits to the absolute edge to help fulfill a vital fundraising promise.
The Challenge: 100 Kilometres, Non-Stop
The story began when a close friend, Stuart, reached out to Darren. For five years, Stuart has been fundraising for Give Kids the World, a fantastic charity that provides fully funded, magical Florida holiday experiences for critically ill children and their families, staying at a magical theme-park resort.
Stuart raises money through an annual 24-hour pop culture and collecting stream, always promising his community a massive physical challenge if they hit a secret milestone. When the community smashed the goal, bringing Stuart’s lifetime fundraising total to a spectacular £25,000, the challenge was locked in: The London to Brighton Ultra Challenge, a grueling 100-kilometre (62-mile) trek.
While some participants choose to camp halfway, Stuart and Darren committed to the ultimate version: going straight through without stopping to sleep.
Training for the Long Haul
Darren threw himself into intense training, building up his endurance until he could comfortably walk for 10 hours straight and even completed a full walking marathon just to prepare.
When the event day arrived, a four-man strategy was set. Darren and Stuart would start the full 100k from Richmond Park at 8am, walking along the Thames through Kingston, across Sutton, and up over Coulsdon. Meanwhile, their friends Scott and Martyn would wait at the 58km halfway mark at Tulley’s Farm in Crawley to join them for the final 42km, stepping in to walk a full marathon to the finish line.
Battling 30-Degree Heat and Anxiety
The weekend turned out to be one of the hottest days of spring ever, with temperatures soaring to a punishing 30°C. Walking across the South Downs presented a unique gauntlet; the chalky paths acted like a mirror, reflecting the intense sun and trapping the heat like an oven.
Darren, left, and Stu, right
The extreme weather took a heavy toll. Darren found himself feeling incredibly sick after lunch due to the blistering heat.
“I couldn’t really eat anything. Although there was loads of food at the pit stops, I couldn’t get proper food down. I had to rely strictly on energy gels, protein bars, and sweets to keep going.” — Darren
The community rallied around the walkers, with local residents along the route putting out garden sprinklers to give the participants a much-needed cool spray as they passed.
Midnight Transitions and Trekking in the Dark
At midnight, after 16 hours of continuous walking, Darren and Stuart arrived at the Crawley checkpoint. Tragically, the heat and severe muscle cramps forced Stuart to pull out.
With his partner sidelined, Darren faced a pivotal choice. Fueled by determination and the arrival of fresh walkers Scott and Martyn, Darren pressed onward into the night.
Inside the Trek, walking in pitch-black is a surreal sensory experience. With head torches on, the team relied entirely on glow sticks attached to markers placed every 50 yards to navigate the rolling terrain.
The cool night air provided a welcome relief from the sun, and by 3:30am, the first hints of dawn began to break, giving the team a massive psychological boost.
One Foot in Front of the Other
By 11:30am the next day, the team reached Plumpton College at the foot of the South Downs. Darren was in a complete daze, fighting intense pain and severe bruising on the balls of his feet and toes. To manage the changing terrain and combat the sweating, Darren strategically rotated through three different pairs of trail and walking trainers.
With only 12 kilometres left, they tackled a brutal 200-metre incline over the Downs, passing just a couple of kilometres away from Devil’s Dyke. Throughout the final stages, seeing his wife, Sarah, and their kids cheering at various checkpoints acted as the ultimate morale booster.
Crossing the Finish Line
After 32 hours of continuous movement and staying awake for over 39 hours straight, Darren, Scott and Martyn marched onto Brighton Racecourse.
In a beautiful, emotional surprise, Stuart was waiting right at the finish line to hand Darren, Scott, and Martyn their hard-earned medals.
L-R Stu, Scott, Martyn and Darren
Out of roughly 800 walkers who started their specific challenge, Darren was one of only 540 elite finishers who successfully overcame the heat and exhaustion to cross the line. Stuart’s campaign raised an incredible £10,000 over the weekend.
There is even talk of Darren heading back to tackle the challenge all over again next year with Stuart, ensuring they can cross that 100k finish line side-by-side!
Stu, left, and Darren, right
Fordway’s Matched Funding Commitment
When our team members pour their hearts, souls and weekends into supporting causes close to them, Fordway is right there behind them. To encourage this incredible spirit of generosity, Fordway operates a corporate matched funding programme.
For charitable fundraising campaigns undertaken by our employees, Fordway matches funds raised up to £250. This ensures that the grit, determination and hard work of team members like Darren go even further in creating a positive impact worldwide.
Congratulations, Darren, on an unbelievable feat of endurance—you are a true Fordway Charity Champion!
