Deian Williams raises over £2,500 for North West Cancer Research

Our Anglesey Regional Valuer, Deian Williams, has successfully completed 102 miles of running during the month of January. Deian set out to run 5k each day during the month in aid of the North West Cancer Research charity and in memory of his mother who sadly passed away in November 2017 after a battle with breast cancer. He initially aimed to raised £250 towards the cause but surpassed that target by an incredible £2,262!

We caught up with Deian, here’s what he had to say.

How did you decide what your challenge would be to raise the money in memory of your mother?
I’ve been wanting to raise money for Cancer Research since the passing of my mother, but never really knew what to do. Throughout 2020 I really got into my running again, mainly for my general wellbeing, to lose a few pounds and Ceri was into her running too. So I thought I would set myself the challenge of running 100 miles in January (x27 5k’s and x4 7.25k’s) whatever the weather. Throughout the month there were naturally good days and bad days in relation to the running. After the first 3 or 4 runs I had really bad back pain which was unexpected, but I carried on and my back eventually got better. I also have a bad left knee so on the really cold mornings and evenings my knee was quite painful.  But overall I felt ok throughout the month really.

Did you have days that were more challenging than others? What kept you motivated during those days?
In relation to the motivation – people were so kind with their donations and I was blown away with everyone’s generosity and with the total amount going up and up, so that was all the motivation one needed to get out and run! I didn’t want to let anyone down.

Was running a part of your routine prior to January or was this all new to you? Will you carry on now the challenge has finished?
I go running 4 times a week anyway and will continue to do that as I enjoy running (Just not every day of the month!!).

How are you finding lockdown?
Lockdown is fine for me. I have Ceri my wife and our son, Aeron and the dog so we go for walks when possible and do things as a family so it’s all the company one needs really. Well that’s certainly the case for me anyway. Of course me and Ceri would love to go out for food and a drink somewhere (when she isn’t pregnant of course) but it’s definitely not the end of the world that we can’t at the moment! I think it does make you realise that we took so much for granted before this pandemic and we’ll enjoy those little things all the more when we’re allowed to again.

Can people still donate?
Yes people can still donate and the link is - https://www.gofundme.com/f/t75xfj-5k-a-day-for-iona

You can read more about Deian's January run here - https://nwcr.org/about-us/latest-news/2021/deianwilliams/?fbclid=IwAR1r7hXM4hrUzNEPk1W43RR-_AsVpxFdLkvVJYGgV3SsqTKovdTuKMHKADo