Family heartbreak spurring Chester Williams to reach Marathon heights

For many the London Marathon would represent one of life’s ultimate challenges. But then Chester Williams and wife Fliss have already dealt with their fair share of adversity.

The former jockey turned trainer is preparing to pound the streets of the capital with the spirit of son Archie pushing him on. And whatever the 26.2 lung-busting miles might have in store for him at the weekend, it will pale into insignificance compared to the pain felt by Williams and his wife in the autumn of 2022.

Having suffered a brain injury in a fall that not only ended his riding career but initially left him in a coma, Williams was still recovering in hospital when on October 11 it was explained Archie’s heart had stopped beating and he had died during childbirth.

For Williams, memories of that nightmare remain somewhat hazy due to the effects of his injury, but through the miracle of Ada who arrived in January 2025, came the strengthening of his bond with Archie and a desire to honour his memory while raising vital awareness of the impact of baby loss.

Williams said: “At the time of Archie’s birth I was in the hospital having had my injury and I wasn’t able to fully compute it.

“When we had our little girl Ada 15 months ago, it felt important to me that Archie’s name was remembered. It’s important to bring attention to the fact all a bereaved parent wants is for the names of their children and babies to be remembered.

“So the memory of Archie is the driving force.”

From the gravest of tragedies has also come the desire to inspire change and break taboos. And while there are never any rules when it comes to grief, Williams is keen to see words break the silence.

“We want people to start feeling comfortable talking about stuff like this,” continued Williams.

“There is a taboo about stillbirth and it is something no one seems to ever talk about. Up until it happened to us I had never actually heard of anyone who had experienced similar, but now I know a lot more about it and people have reached out and I’ve realised it’s a lot more common than I ever knew.

“People want to be able to talk about their babies and although with stillbirth you never get to meet them properly, they were with their mothers for nine months and a person who was cared for and deserve to be talked about.

“People are frightened of saying the wrong things, but talking about someone’s baby is all anyone really wants. It’s always better to say something than nothing at all, it’s important people are aware of that.”

While honouring Archie’s memory is the ultimate ambition of Williams’ marathon exertions, raising awareness of the vital work of Sands – a charity that offers a safe space for anyone experiencing pregnancy loss or the death of a baby – is also paramount.

Drawing from his own experiences, the 28-year-old explained: “The support I was receiving after my injury was phenomenal and my calendar was full every week with physio and the likes, but it was only through my psychology sessions that we ever got to speak to someone about what happened with Archie. I was receiving this amazing care, but it just shone a light on how lacking the support was for Fliss.

“It highlights the important of Sands and other charities like Tommy’s and one of the aims of those organisations is to raise awareness and try to introduce legislation that instils proper support channels.”

Adding an extra layer of complexity to marathon preparations has been the after effects of Williams’ injury, something that will now see the once budding cross-country star of his school days temper expectations on the big day.

He explained: “I was always able to run fairly well pre my brain injury and I think back then I would be trying to get a time sub three hours. Thankfully I have quite long legs which will help, but it might take a bit longer now.

“The damage from the injury was all to my right side and things that would previously come naturally now requires more brain effort and it’s mentally and physically harder work now. I definitely won’t be able to run the speed I would have done before.”

Williams’ story, as well as being a tale of strength and resilience, also serves as a stark reminder that behind every sportsman is a human occasionally battling some of life’s darkest battles.

“There is always much more going on in a person’s life than results and what people can see in a sporting environment. You’re not digging deep when you’re talking about the 2.30 at Haydock,” said Williams.

“Fliss and I are putting everything into the training and the business and of course results do matter, but now we have Ada and when you have a slow day, it’s nice to get home see her and remember it isn’t all too important in the grand scheme of things.

“Fliss is fairly phenomenal. Because of my brain injury, I wasn’t overly aware what was happening – she had to deal with me and the loss of Archie all in one go and I’m lucky to have her by my side.”