THE manager of Penrhyndeudraeth Football Club will take part in the London Marathon next month in support of Cancer Research Wales and in memory of his mum and dad.

Iwan Williams will taking part in the marathon on Sunday, 3 October.

He and his brother, Osian, lost both their parents to cancer, most recently losing their dad, Keith, to the disease in 2019.

Iwan has decided to run the London Marathon in memory of both his parents and to raise important funds for such a great cause.

Iwan said: “My dad had suffered for several years with lung and chest disease, defied all odds to recover from a life saving operation after suffering a perforated bowel, and of course the trauma of losing our mother to cancer at such a young age.

“However, over Christmas 2019 he unexpectedly lost his voice and after countless tests, scans, etc, we were told by the doctors, as the pandemic set in, that he only had days to live because of his cancer diagnosis.

“It then suddenly dawned on us that this was a battle that even my dad just could not win.

“Five days after receiving this shocking news, he passed away peacefully holding his Everton scarf tight around him.

“After suffering from my own mental challenges after losing both our parents in the manner that we did, plus being advised by doctors 18 months ago to not participate in any more sporting activities after severely rupturing my Achilles twice, I’ve spent hours throughout both lockdowns trying to prove the specialists wrong with painful rehab and determination.”

He continued: “On Sunday, 3 October I will be running the London marathon for Cancer Research in order to try and raise money to make a small difference to a charity close to my heart.

“The several marathons I have run in the past have all been about beating my record time of three hours 14 minutes.

“However, this one is different. The objective will be to try and manage the pain I still suffer from and basically get over that finish line one way or another in memory of our dad and of course, our mum, Daffni Eynon-Williams.”

Iwan reminded people how they can donate to his fundraiser and how he will appreciate any amount they can give as he added: “I would really appreciate any donations, large or small, especially given these testing times, to see if I can help someone, somewhere to not have to go through the trauma we did.”

To donate to Iwan’s online fundraiser, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/iwan-williams7?