Latest news with #RuthStraussFoundation
Times
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Times
Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook: from opening batting to London Marathon
England's greatest opening partnership, Sir Andrew Strauss, 48, a veteran of two previous London Marathons, and Sir Alastair Cook, 40, are both running on Sunday to raise money for the Ruth Strauss Foundation set up in memory of Andrew's wife, who died in 2018 from a rare form of lung cancer. Sir Alastair Cook The training has been really enjoyable but also quite strange. Some days you absolutely fly. You do a lot of plodding stuff and then you have effort days where you run shorter distances but quicker. Some days doing that you are cruising and some days it's a real effort. On Wednesday night I did a final run of 7km and I felt terrible. It was meant to be an easy run
Daily Mirror
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
London Marathon 2025: John Terry, X-Factor winner and the celebrities running this year
Footballers including John Terry and Jack Wilshere, plus singer Alexandra Burke, are among the famous faces taking to the London Marathon start line on Sunday morning It promises to be the biggest marathon of all time and among the anticipated 56,000 who will take to the start line in Greenwich on Sunday morning will be Olympic champions in other sports, football legends and a host of big names from the entertainment world. Sir Jason Kenny, Britain's most successful Olympian of all time, will make his marathon debut along with Rio 2016 diving champ Chris Mears. And Kenny said: 'I've never seen myself as a runner, but since retiring from competing on the bike I've started to run more and completely fallen in love with it. 'Taking on the TCS London Marathon for the first time is a huge challenge, but I'm excited to step out of my comfort zone. It's a different kind of test and I'm ready to give it my all.' Cricket legends Sir Andrew Strauss and Sir Alastair Cook, who have 261 international Test appearances between them, will be running for the Ruth Strauss Foundation. John Terry, Jack Wilshere, Danny Mills and Steve Sidwell are among the former footballers taking to the start line with Wilshere and Sidwell raising awareness for the British Heart Foundation. They will be joined in Greenwich by X-Factor winner Alexandra Burke, who is supporting Diabetes UK. Burke lost her mum, Melissa, to diabetes aged 53 in 2017. She will run alongside her fiance, the former Premier League goalkeeper Darren Randolph. Pop star Harry Judd, best known as the drummer in the band McFly, is running the race for a third time, and Joe Wicks is returning for the first time in a decade as he raises money for The Body Coach Foundation. The 39-year-old is not worrying about the time he records this time around: 'I'm so looking forward to enjoying the journey this time. I'm planning to run at a slower pace, just to enjoy the experience and cheer as many people on throughout the day.' Comedian Romesh Ranganathan also returns to the London Marathon after running last year. He is aiming to raise £115,000 for Teenage Cancer Trust. Ranganathan said: 'I was lucky enough to visit Teenage Cancer Trust units across the country during my tour last year, so I decided to run the TCS London Marathon again to fundraise for the charity I saw first-hand how invaluable Teenage Cancer Trust's work is. The support they offer to not only teens and young adults with cancer, but their families too, is remarkable. 'By running the marathon, I want to raise as much money as I possibly can and to raise as much awareness for the charity as I can. My target is £115,000, which will pay for two Teenage Cancer Trust nurses for a year and any support is greatly appreciated.' Tony Audenshaw, who has played Bob Hope on ITV soap Emmerdale since 2000 lost his wife to pancreatic cancer in 2017, so has decided to run this year to support Pancreatic Cancer UK, the race's official charity, a decade on from his last outing. Fellow actors Lisa McGrillis and Kedar Williams-Stirling, who both appeared on the hit Netflix show Sex Education, will be taking part in the event for the first time. McGrillis will run for the BHF, Williams-Stirling for the WWF.
BBC News
16-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Pocklington man to run six races in cricket gear carrying bat
A man whose wife died of bowel cancer is to take part in six running events in six months in her memory while wearing cricket gear and carring a bat. Richard Williman's wife Erika, 51, from Pocklington, East Yorkshire, died in July 2022. His challenge will begin with the London Marathon in April and will end with the Ipswich Half Marathon in September. He will be raising money for The Ruth Strauss Foundation which supports families who have lost a parent to cancer. Mr Williman, 56, will also run the Edinburgh Marathon in May, the Newcastle Half Marathon in July, and take part in 10K runs in Leeds in June and York in said he would be running in his cricket gear including pads, a cap, gloves and cricket whites. "I'm a cricketer, I love cricket," he said. "The kit I've got is quite lightweight, apart from the bat. The bat's the really heavy part."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 Ruth Strauss Foundation was set up by former England cricket captain Sir Andrew Strauss in memory of his wife who died from lung cancer in 2018. Mr Williman said one of the hardest parts of his wife's diagnosis and her death was telling their children Seb, now 24, and Alex, 16. 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."In 2024, Mr Williman ran 10km a day for 145 consecutive days, covering 950 miles (1,529km). Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
The Independent
16-04-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Widower gearing up for six running events in six months in cricket attire
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.
