South West England man Adam Webber has completed a remarkable seven ultramarathons in seven days to help prevent families from losing someone they love to ovarian cancer.
The 45-year-old's challenge has raised more than £5,500 for Target Ovarian Cancer and brought significant attention to the condition’s symptoms.
Adam undertook the run in late August with his friend Sam and a dedicated support crew, four years after losing his wife Shelly to ovarian cancer.
"I hope these challenges can help save others”
Shelly passed away in July 2022 just 10 months after being diagnosed, and shortly after encouraging Adam to stay fit so he could remain a strong support for their son Ryan, now aged 22.
Adam has since raised more than £37,000 for Target Ovarian Cancer by undertaking endurance runs, an incredible sum that will support the charity’s efforts to drive life-saving early diagnosis, treatment and support. Adam’s runs have also aimed to boost symptoms awareness.
"I believe if we had heard someone talking about ovarian cancer in the community and learnt the symptoms beforehand then Shelly might still be with us now,” Adam said.
“I hope these challenges can help save others and prevent further families from going through what we did.”
Powered by teamwork
Adam’s latest challenge involved running 250 miles from the summit of Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales, to his hometown of Cullompton in England within a week.
Thinking of Shelly, remembering the experience was a privilege, and sheer determination helped Adam keep going when things got hard, including when he needed to manage an unexpected foot injury.
“There were some great highs and a few real low times, including some moments where I wondered if I could complete the rest of the day, let alone the full distance,” he said.
Adam benefitted from a fantastic team, running the full distance with his friend Sam, as well as being joined by a support crew of four (Harry, Jack, Dave and Lewis) and other runners for specific stretches of the route.
Adam and Sam also raised money for Breast Cancer Now in honour of Sam’s sister-in-law, who is currently in remission.
“Our support crew were just as crucial to the team as Sam and I, as we couldn’t have done any of this alone,” he said.
Sparking important conversations
Adam raised awareness of symptoms on the road by speaking with local media such as BBC Radio Devon, sharing information on his Facebook page and talking with curious locals.
“We stood out in the middle of nowhere, so people out walking their dogs would come up and ask ‘what are you doing’ and end up donating to us and following our journey,” he said.
The end of the run drew particular attention at Cullompton, with dozens of people joining Adam and Sam to complete the final leg or cheer them on, including Adam’s son Ryan.
“It was so special to have my boy there as he’s my biggest supporter. Ryan and I say a lot that as long as we keep talking about Shelly, she’s still here with us,” Adam said.
“I know she’d be proud of our efforts to ensure more women with ovarian cancer can have the disease caught earlier.”
You can still donate to Adam and Sam’s challenge through their team page, or learn more about supporting Target Ovarian Cancer on our Fundraising page.
