HSDC is thrilled to celebrate the extraordinary achievement of student Archie Dinnage, who recently participated in the 2026 London Marathon.
Archie, who studies Level 2 Public Services at HSDC South Downs, crossed the finish line on The Mall with an official time of 4:35:45, a feat that marks yet another milestone in his transformative journey since enrolling at the College in 2024.
His relationship with running is both recent and deeply personal. When Archie started at HSDC, he shared a small achievement certificate with his tutors that he obtained for running 1.2 kilometers at his previous college earlier that year. At the same time, Archie was managing the long-term impact of childhood health complications, including an early asthma diagnosis.
Born almost ten weeks prematurely, Archie is the younger of twins and experienced a range of early health challenges that meant he avoided running altogether before starting college. When he won his ballot to participate in the London Marathon through The Lord’s Taverners, there were understandable concerns about his respiratory capacity, but, through a journey of sheer determination and will, Archie has defied all the odds.
His training began in September 2025, initially through long-distance walking before gradually introducing running from November onwards. Training three to four times per week, Archie showcased consistent dedication, often training alone in difficult weather conditions throughout the winter.
This training was completed alongside his college workload, and his first 5K Park Run resulted in a time of just over 34 minutes. Perseverance was the key here, and Archie was able to steadily reduce this to under 25 minutes in the week before the marathon! Before Christmas, Archie completed a marathon-distance run/walk in 7 hours and 40 minutes, making his official runtime of 4:35:45 all the more impressive.
Heidi and Leo, Archie’s parents, said:
“We are so very proud of Archie, not just for the training, but for the amount of money that he was able to raise! We are so pleased for him, it’s a real once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Dad’s employer Red Funnel have also been extraordinary in their support and donated £400.”
Speaking about the experience of running the London Marathon, Archie said:
“I really enjoyed the experience, I met so many people en route and loved the real camaraderie with Team Tavs and encouraging shouts of the crowd. All of the training has increased my fitness drastically, which I hope will help me join The Royal Navy after finishing my studies at HSDC.”
When asked about the people who helped him on this journey, Archie said:
“I would like to thank every one of my mentors, both past and present, who have been part of this journey. Thank you to everyone who has supported me and made a donation, including family and friends of Milo Peart, runners, supporters and The Tav’s organisation, members of the Royal Navy Community, Crofton Shotokan Karate, GADSAD, Cllr Pal Hayre, HEH Mind, and of course my tutors at HSDC – Vicki, Martyn and Phil!”
Alongside the intense physical challenges of marathon training, Archie ran to support a number of causes with personal significance to him – HEH Mind, The Lord’s Taverners, RMS Collingwood and GADSAD. At the time of writing, his GiveWheel fundraising page stands at almost £3,000, far exceeding his original goal of £2,000, and his Give as you Live fundraising page for Team Tavs has just exceeded £3,000.
Archie and his parents would like to thank The Lord’s Taverners for securing Archie’s ballot for the marathon, and for their continuous support throughout his training. A special thank you is also owed to local community cricket coach Ben Pocknell, who supported Archie in his training and who ran alongside him on the day to keep pace and ensure his safety and wellbeing.
Archie’s achievement is a powerful example of personal transformation through perseverance, support and belief. His journey is a reflection of HSDC’s commitment to developing students not only academically, but as confident and capable individuals equipped to overcome challenges and contribute positively to their communities.
Archie’s fundraiser will remain open until July. Any further donations you can spare will make a huge difference to the work they do and can be found here:
GiveWheel: https://givewheel.com/fundraising/11299/archies-goal-to-overcome-personal-challenges-and-c/
Give as you Live: https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/archies-first-marathon-challenge
