27 April 2026
“Raising money for something that directly helps students is a brilliant way to give back while doing something I love"
Four runners from the University of Sunderland crossed the finish line at the world-famous London Marathon on Sunday (26 April), raising £6,150 for the University’s Futures Fund.
Alumni Andrew Rogers and Anthony Corbett, former colleague Laura Kerry, and current University of Sunderland in London student Maria Budakova successfully completed the 26.2-mile course alongside a record-breaking field of 59,000 runners.
Anthony, Andrew, Laura, and Maria took up the marathon challenge to support the Futures Fund, which, since 2003 has empowered students, staff, and alumni by supporting excellence, enabling opportunities, and boosting employability across the University community.
The funds raised will help provide financial, educational, and career development assistance to those students, alumni, and staff who need it most.
“Giving back while doing something I love”
For Maria Budakova, who is studying BA Business Management (Top-up) in London, running for the Futures Fund provided extra motivation to reach the finish line.
“I’ve seen, first-hand, how valuable support like the Futures Fund can be.” she said. “Raising money for something that directly helps students is a brilliant way to give back while doing something I love.
“The London Marathon was an incredible experience from start to finish - the atmosphere, the support from the crowds, and the sense of achievement crossing the finish line made it truly unforgettable.
“It was both a physical and mental challenge, but one I’m very proud to have completed.”
You can still support Maria by going to her Enthuse Fundraising Page.(opens in new tab)
Laura's last run for the Uni
Thank you to former University Sustainability Officer Laura Kerry who now works as Business Investment and Projects Officer at Sunderland City Council.
Laura raised almost £1,900 for the Futures Fund.
"Wow what an experience," Laura said.
"The London marathon was hard but at the same time the best buzz ever. The support from the crowd was off the scale! I smiled like a cheshire cat up until around mile 23. But even when i was gritting my teeth the crowd spurred me on to make it across the finish line.
"I was aiming for 4:30 and I got 4:34:38, but I am over the moon with that considering the congestion and heat. Another bucket list challenge complete."
“Thanks again for the opportunity to run for the Uni”
Andrew Rogers graduated BSc Multimedia Games in 2008 then MSc Software Enterprise in 2010. He now works at Hays Travel in Sunderland.
Andrew said: "Thank you so much for letting me represent you and fundraising for your charity.
"I came in half an hour later than my target but it’s motivated me more to get closer to that goal next time.
“The day was a magical experience, one to really cherish. Hearing the thousands and thousands of people cheering you on was not something I had experienced at that level and it really gets you through the low points.
“It was quite a humbling experience, the heat got to me, but luckily that meant I took my vest off and got more photos with the Futures Fund shirt showing.”
“My memories of Peter Smith kept me going”
Anthony Corbett graduated in 1987 with BSc (Hons) Combined Studies in Science, and one of his main motivation for running the London Marathon was in memory of his former lecturer Professor Peter Smith, who died in 2025.
“It was awesome - there is nothing like the London Marathon for a running experience,” Anthony said.
"The organisation, the crowd, the other runners - all make it a fantastic day.
"It was a bit too warm for my liking and unfortunately I had a bit of a foot issue for about 3 miles in the second half which reduced me to a walk - but managed to run again after that.
"Didn’t quite get my first target time of 5:15 but did beat my second target of 5:30 finishing with 5:23. The biggest coincidence was finding Andrew (Rogers) at the finish - not bad when there were 59,000 runners.
“Thanks to all for the opportunity to compete. My memories of Peter Smith kept me going.”
Friends and Family Cheer our Runners
The iconic marathon route, from Blackheath to Buckingham Palace, passes by the University’s London campus, near Canary Wharf, where friends, family, and colleagues gathered at a dedicated cheer point to enthusiastically support runners at the 17.6-mile mark.
This year’s marathon also saw the world records broken, with Kenya's Sebastian Sawe becoming the first marathon runner ever to officially log a sub-two hour finish at 01:59:30.
If watching the London Marathon has given you the running bug, it’s still not too late to join the Futures Fund team at the Sunderland City Runs on 17 May – pay your £10 registration fee here.