Welsh football icon Ramsey takes on marathon challenge for charity
Wales football great Aaron Ramsey (C) takes on a different challenge in the London Marathon (DENIS CHARLET) Welsh football great Aaron Ramsey hung up his boots earlier this month but that did not mean easing up as on Sunday he will don his running shoes and compete in the London Marathon -- for a charitable cause. The 35-year-old former Arsenal and Juventus midfielder will be running to raise funds for It's Never You, a charity founded by his friends, Ceri and Frances Menai-Davis. Their son, Hugh, died aged just six from a rare cancer, rhabdomyosarcoma, on September 18, 2021.
Ramsey, who prior to announcing he was running in the marathon had already raised £25,000 ($34,000) in previous years according to Ceri, said his son used to play with Hugh. "As a charity, it's really close to my heart," Ramsey told BBC Wales. "I know Ceri and Fran and their family.
I knew Hugh very well. My eldest boy, Sonny, is a similar age and they used to play with each other. "I can't imagine what they went through and what they are going through, but they've been an absolute inspiration to me, my family and many others.
" Ramsey, capped 86 times and a key member of the Wales side that reached the Euro 2016 semi-finals though he was suspended for the last four defeat by eventual champions Portugal, will run alongside Ceri. "They've (Ceri and Frances) done an unbelievable job in what they've done so far, and I know they're only just getting started," said Ramsey. "They've accomplished so much, and to see their drive and passion to try and make a difference in Hugh's memory is very inspiring.
"Now I'm retired, it frees me up a little bit more to be able to do these things. " - 'Grief weighs' - Ramsey, who won the FA Cup three times with Arsenal, said training for a marathon had been a very different challenge. "I'm excited," he said.