Ashley Williams has already reached the highest peaks of competitive boxing. Born in Bridgend, he has competed for Wales at numerous tournaments, and even earned a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014. His next challenges will be quite different – completing feats of endurance with the goal of raising funds for SSAFA.
On Sunday, the 25th of February Ashley will be running in the Llanelli Half-Marathon. He has previous experience in long-distance running, having completed the Great North Run as well as the Cyprus International 4-Day Challenge. The Great North Run is the largest half-marathon in the world, and the 4-Day Challenge features a multi-terrain half-marathon in the middle of the schedule. Ashley feels these events have prepared him for the Llanelli event this Sunday.
Along with being a decorated boxer, Ashley is in his 15th year in the Army, serving in the 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh. He began boxing 11 years ago, well into his time in the military, and feels strongly about helping service personnel and their families. He also plans on entering the Half-IRONMAN in Swansea this summer, again participating for SSAFA.
Ashley said this about running the Llanelli Half-Marathon for SSAFA:
“It’s to keep my mind active and help me with goal setting and preparing for my Half-IRONMAN… I heard about SSAFA and how they were holding places for the Half-IRONMAN… so why not raise money for a charity that helps the military and hit one of my goals while doing it?”
The course will take a different route than previous years, starting and finishing at Festival Fields. The route will snake along the Millennium coastal path and around the Machynys Golf Centre, offering a mostly flat terrain and scenic views throughout. The half-marathon will start at 9:00 AM, and the 10k that follows a similar route will start at 9:30 AM.
You can donate to Ashley’s charity page by clicking this link: https://shorturl.at/lBUW9.
More information about the Llanelli Half-Marathon is available by clicking this link: https://www.llanellihalf.co.uk/index.php.
