'I ran this for Eva' The reason Chorley dad-of- two and army major ran 'tough' London marathon
He may an army major but he still found the London Marathon’ tough’ . But dad-of-two Neil Williams ‘did it for Eva’ and made it to the finish line./
Among the 59,000 runners to take part in Sunday’s London Marathon was Chorley dad-of- two and army major Neil Williams, who ran to raise £2,282 for mums and babies charity Baby Beat.
Neil, 41, and his wife Rachel, an area manager for Propel Finance, have been fundraising for Baby Beat, which supports the Royal Preston Hospital’s Sharoe Green Maternity Unit, since their daughter Eva, now one and thriving, was born three months prematurely, weighing an incredibly tiny 1lb 5oz.
Eva spent the first 14 weeks of her life in the unit’s NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) with Neil and Rachel keeping a round the clock vigil as Eva battled repeat infections and viruses, was supported by five different types of ventilators, underwent four heart scans, three brain scans, three invasive eye tests, three blood transfusions, a lumbar puncture and a week in isolation.
Describing those three months as the most challenging of their lives, the couple, who are also parents to 12-year-old Noah, raised £16,000 for Baby Beat to buy two new incubators for NICU while Eva was still receiving its care by organsing a charity black tie ball attendedby family and friends and last Christmas, they delivered 50 selection boxes to staff and families spending their Christmas on NICU.
Of Sunday’s marathon, Neil said: “It didn’t quite go to plan. I went out a bit too fast, and after months of training through the cold winter, I wasn’t prepared for 22°C on race day. I was under 2 hours at the halfway point even with a quick toilet stop, but I paid the price later on especially around miles 18–20 when it really started to bite. The last few miles were tough - really tough.
“But what carried me through wasn’t pace or time, it was purpose. I ran this for Eva. In those early days, Baby Beat supported us when we needed it most, and that’s exactly what I thought about when things got hard out there.”
Neil added: “The crowds in London were unbelievable. The noise, the encouragement, the atmosphere, it genuinely lifts you when your legs are telling you to stop. And when it got really tough, I reminded myself why I was there. Crossing that finish line meant more than any time on the clock. Thank you to everyone who has supported, donated, and messaged. It honestly made a difference.”
Lucy Clark, fundraiser for Baby Beat, said: “Well done to Neil for battling through and collecting his finishers’ medal. Neil and his family are amazing supporters of Baby Beat. We are very grateful for Neil’s fantastic London Marathon donation.”
NICU at the Sharoe Green Maternity Unit is Lancashire and South Cumbria’s regional specialist NICU. It cares for 400-450 premature and poorly babies from across the north west annually. Baby Beat supports NICU and the whole unit by working to fund specialist equipment, patient services and comforts, clinical care, local research and training. For further information, visit www.babybeat.org.uk
To help Neil fundraise for Baby Beat and NICU in Eva’s name, go to https://www.justgiving.com/page/eva-karen-williams