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Man to run six races in cricket gear carrying bat

PA Media A man wearing cricket whites is standing in the middle of the photo. He is wearing gloves, shin pads, and is holding a cricket bat. He has glasses and a red baseball cap on. He is surrounded by runners.PA Media
Mr Williman hopes to raise £10,000 for The Ruth Strauss Foundation

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.

PA Media Two people are smiling at the camera. On the left is Rich Williman, who has a white shirt on and is wearing glasses. He has his arm around Erika Williman, who has blonde curly hair and is also wearing glasses. PA Media
Mr and Mrs Williman took part in a virtual version of the London Marathon in 2021

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 August.

He 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.

PA Media Rich Williman is at the centre of the photo. He's wearing a red running top and matching red headband. He's wearing glasses and is smiling. In the background there is a river and lots of plants and trees. PA Media
Mr Williman says he is grateful for the support of his family and his running club Pocklington Runners

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).

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