What began as a relaxing holiday abroad turned into a gruelling fitness challenge for Kenny Hewitt and his partner Jill Forbes – but it was all for a good cause.

Real estate agent Kenny underwent his first half-marathon in Edinburgh Marathon Festival at the end of May, spurred on by his partner of one year and running enthusiast Jill.

Kenny Hewitt, with his partner Jill Forbes at the finish line. Photo: Supplied.

It wasn't a totally out-of-the-blue suggestion. Jill knew Kenny had an overwhelming desire to fundraise for the Waipuna Hospice, which had been instrumental in helping Scotland native Kenny and his late wife Pam, who passed away in January 2013.

'Jill and I were going to Edinburgh for a holiday, and she was the one that saw the marathon festival was on one of the weekend we were there. She said: ‘Why do we enter to try to do a bit of fundraising?'

'It seemed like a really good idea. I spoke to the hospice, set up a fundraising page and told people I was doing it.

'My daughter in London and her boyfriend, who is a Kiwi, said they'd do the run with me too; then my sister and her boyfriend, who live in the UK, said they'd do it as well so there was six of us together who entered.”

Despite being 'reasonably fit for a 57-year-old”, Kenny struggled with the training, as he had a few problems with his calves.

'I think it was just an age thing,” he says. 'I do look after my fitness, I go to the gym a lot, so I'm a fit bloke.

'But when I was running a few times a week my calves basically said: ‘Hey, you're a 57-year-old, behave yourself.' My training didn't go well, but my fitness was such that I managed to plod my way around.”

He'd also had a hip replacement in December 2013, but having made a full recovery, Kenny says: 'Truthfully, it was the only part in my bottom half that wasn't sore in the end!”

Completing the course in two hours, 31 minutes, Kenny is thrilled with his time, and better still with the $6500 he managed to raise for Waipuna Hospice.

'I want to say thank you to the people who supported me and donated money, including The Gym who sponsored our running gear.

'It was just amazing. I don't know if I'll ever do another half-marathon, but I can tick it off the bucket list.”

The FundraiseOnline page is still open. To donate, visit www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/KennyHewitt/