Wolverhampton man will walk 130 MILES to London Marathon start line before running at the iconic event in monumental charity effort

George Bunn
Thu, 23 Apr 2026 19:10:05 +0000

A "fundraising legend" is set to walk 130 miles from his home city of Wolverhampton before taking part in the London Marathon in a huge challenge.

Manny Singh Kang has become famous across the West Midlands for his fundraising feats, with his next one seeing him walking for three days with no sleep.

Mr Kang will be walking from Molineux stadium, home to his beloved Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, to the marathon start line in Blackheath before taking part in the world-famous 26-mile run for his seventh time.

He is set to begin the walk from Wolverhampton on Friday and is raising money for Dementia UK.

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He said: "It will be the toughest, hardest challenge that I've ever faced, but I still reflect on the people we're helping who face tough, hard challenges every day.

"You don't need to know somebody to help them, go out and do something good to affect your community positively."

Mr Kang's shoes have been specially engraved with the names of dementia patients and family members that have supported him with his challenges.

He told the BBC: "It's amazing the response I've had...I literally don't go to a football game without people coming up to me and giving me money and sharing their stories."

Mr Kang continued: "Most of the stories I've had of people living with dementia have come from the football family.

"It's so prevalent and we need to do more, raise awareness and tell them that there is help out there for them.

"I came up with this quite bonkers super challenge but I think it's possible.

"Human capabilities are much stronger than sometimes our thoughts let us experience so it's about taking those negative thoughts away focusing on the positivity."

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It is the latest in a series of fundraising challenges Mr Kang has done for Dementia UK.

He has raised money for the charity by completing marathons and selling samosas on matchdays at the home ground of Wolves.

In 2024, he walked from Molineux to St James' Park in Newcastle alongside his son Jeevan, for which he won a Pride of Britain Award.

He said: "Its not about the money, it's about uplifting people and making them feel better about themselves regardless what they're going through."

Final preparations are under way for this year’s London Marathon which takes place on Sunday.

More than 1.1 million people threw their names into the ballot for the 2026 race, a massive jump from 840,318 applicants in 2025 and just 578,304 the year before.

But here is the tough reality: with 57,449 starters last year, only around five per cent of hopefuls actually get to run.

The 2025 event saw a record-breaking 56,640 runners cross the finish line.

GB News is proud to highlight stories that celebrate the very best of Britain.

From ultra-marathons to blood donations, Super Grans to Good Samaritans, and even heartwarming acts of kindness, this country has so much to be proud of.

Do you have a local hero? Someone who has gone the extra mile for their community? Or do you know someone who is running in this weekend's London Marathon for a worthy cause?

You can email me on george.bunn@gbnews.uk.