A widower is to take on six running events across six months wearing cricket gear to show good can come “out of tragedy” after the death of his wife who had stage four bowel cancer.
Rich Williman’s wife Erika died in July 2022 at the age of 51 after 18 months with cancer.
Mr Williman, who is 56 and works with non-profit organisation the Education Alliance, said one of the toughest aspects of the diagnosis and his wife’s eventual death was telling the couple’s children, Seb, who is now 24, and Alex who is 16.
In a bid to make speaking about loss easier for others, he decided to raise money for the Ruth Strauss Foundation, a charity which provides emotional support to children who are going to lose a parent to cancer, by running 10km a day for 145 consecutive days in 2024.
This year, he has decided to be even more adventurous and aims to run six distance events over a six-month period from April to September, beginning with the London Marathon, all while wearing cricket gear including pads, a cap, gloves and cricket whites and carrying a bat.
“I’m a cricketer, I love cricket,” Mr Williman, who lives in Pocklington in the East Riding of Yorkshire, told the PA news agency.
“In addition to my training, I’ve also been on a park run in my kit so I know that I can sort of run in the gear, and people were really interested and asked me what I was doing.
“The kit I’ve got is quite lightweight, apart from the bat, the bat’s the really heavy part.
“I’ve tried different ways of running with the bat, for example holding it as you would when you’re playing.
“I won’t be as fast as I would perhaps want to be but I’m not doing it for a time, I’m doing it to generate discussion and awareness of the work of the foundation.”
The London Marathon holds a special place in his heart as he and his wife participated in a virtual version of the event in 2021.
“That was while she was receiving treatment and I ran it and she walked it over a period of time,” he said.
“Then we did a little bit together at the end and that’s my go to whenever runs feel painful, the legs are feeling sore – I always go to those moments where I saw her battle and be so positive.
“I feel Erika is with us constantly, that inner force that’s always there, guiding us in what we do, and the decisions we make, and for me, that’s such a gift.”
Mr Williman will also tackle a marathon in Edinburgh in May, half marathons in Newcastle in July and Ipswich in September, and 10k runs in Leeds in June and York in August, all in support of the Ruth Strauss Foundation, which was set up by former England cricket captain Sir Andrew Strauss.
He hopes to visit cricket clubs and other relevant organisations alongside the challenge to raise as much money as he can, with more than £600 donated to his JustGiving page so far.
He said he has been grateful for the “overwhelming” support of his running club, Pocklington Runners, his family and those who have happened upon his pursuit.
“Everyone’s fully behind me and backing me,” he said.
“Erika and I have both always wanted to bring good out of tragedy and if doing this means just one person or one child of a family finds out about the foundation and gets the support they need to thrive, for me, that’s job done.”
Gray-Nicolls, an English cricket equipment and clothing brand, have supplied Mr Williman with the kit, and SuperNutrio, a local producer of high protein, high calcium cow’s milk is fuelling his challenge and offering sponsorship.
Mr Williman’s fundraising page can be accessed here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/richard-williman-six6schallenge
People can follow Mr Williman’s progress in the Six 6s Challenge for RSF on Facebook and Instagram.
