AN East Yorkshire man is currently running ten kilometres per day for 145 consecutive days in preparation for a cross-country event of around the same distance next year, dedicated to the memory of his late wife.
Semi-retired headteacher Richard Williman from Pocklington plans to visit every county cricket ground across England and Wales in 2025 and is raising funds for a charity whose aims include the provision of emotional support for families to prepare for the death of a parent.
Richard’s late wife Erika was diagnosed with incurable stage four bowel cancer in November 2020 and he recounted her resolve, which in turn has driven him on.
Throughout Erika’s 18-month battle, and whilst undergoing chemotherapy she would take to the treadmill for steps, culminating in the husband and wife completing the virtual London Marathon during her first round of treatment.
'When I think about how we help people get through difficult life events, it seems like we wait for a crisis – preparing for end of life is no different'
Richard said: “After she overcame the shock of her diagnosis, she said ‘we need to talk to the children' about her cancer and the journey that lay ahead.
“She was really clear about that and that her cancer did not define them, and that they would go on and continue to thrive when she was no longer able to be with us.
“She said ‘to do so, we need them to be aware and involved in my cancer journey.’
“What I now know is that the research says preparing young people to face such loss is vital – around 46,000 per year lose a parent this way."
Richard said he’s seen the positive impact this preparation had on now 23-year-old Seb and his 15-year-old sister in helping prepare for Erika’s loss before she passed away aged 51 in July 2022.
He paid special tribute to St Leonard’s Hospice for their embrace and support in the planning of a family holiday in the Peak District and her end of life care.
Reflecting on Erika’s passing, Richard said: “When I think about how we help people get through difficult life events, it seems like we wait for a crisis – preparing for end of life is no different.
“We talk about birth but almost nothing about death.
“After she passed away I was determined to build on her legacy.”
The keen sportsman has represented Pocklington Rugby Club and the town’s cricket club and knew about the work of the Ruth Strauss Foundation, founded by her husband, former England men’s cricket captain Andrew in 2019 after the death of his wife to incurable non-smoking lung cancer.
Richard said: “I thought, ‘is there anything that connects with what Erika did for our children and myself, and with everything I am interested in?
“In came The Ruth Strauss Foundation and their strategies – fundraising to aid research in the fight against non-smoking lung cancer and training for professionals to have those pre-bereavement conversations with families when a parent is diagnosed with incurable cancer.”
Richard said those values aligned with his own educational background which has taken him across the East Riding of Yorkshire, where he has already delivered training sessions on pre-bereavement.
He said: “One of Erika’s phrases was 'go big or go home'.
“I knew there was a chance to share the message behind the foundation and raise funds.”
Richard worked out that to get around the county grounds from Durham to Lords in London – the 'home of cricket' - would be around 1,450 kilometres so in preparation he is covering that distance at 10k per day over consecutive days.
Even on his holidays.
The Press met Richard on day 61 of a routine that's developed via a combination of time on the treadmill, or around Millington and Barmby Moor in the East Riding, the Scottish Highlands or on holiday in Croatia – all while wearing red, the adopted colour of the Ruth Strauss Foundation.
The 55-year-old recently completed the Leeds 10k in a time of 47 minutes and seven seconds and is entered into the same distances in Sheffield and York, as well as the 2025 London Marathon.
Richard said: “I am now starting to see the impact on my body.
“But what keeps me motivated is when I reflect on Erika doing her steps at 6am and walking the distance of the London Marathon whilst undergoing treatment.
“Seb and Alex are completely behind me and always sending messages of support and will join me during the journey between the county cricket grounds, which I plan to start in June 2025.”
Richard is on his second pair of running trainers during his preparation and his playlist includes Keane – lead singer Tom Chaplin is a massive cricket fan - and also Wigan band The Lathums.
Ines Thiru, CEO of the Ruth Strauss Foundation, said: "We are so incredibly grateful to Richard, and everyone here is in awe of the extraordinary lengths he is going to in order to honour his wife Erika and to raise vital funds and awareness for the work we do to support families facing one of life's toughest tests.
"One in two people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime but when a parent receives an incurable diagnosis, explaining it to their children can be difficult and overwhelming.
"We know that children actually cope much better with grief when parents talk about cancer with them and our family support services are here to help them do just that.
"We couldn't do what we do without people like Richard and we wish him every success with his challenge."
Richard Williman’s journey is being mapped on his fundraising page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Richard-Williman2.
A dedicated website is scheduled for early in 2025.
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