'She was saying thank you': Leeds London Marathon runner goes viral after honouring memory of nine-year-old niece

A Leeds-based London Marathon runner has gone viral after raising vital funds for Young Lives vs Cancer.

Liam Williams, 38, completed the London Marathon alongside his two sisters and brother-in-law in memory of his niece, Freya, who after being diagnosed with a rare, inoperable brain tumour at the start of 2025, sadly passed away in August of that year.

After finishing the marathon, Liam, who is based in Headingley, experienced an unexpected and deeply moving moment at Monument tube station. As he stepped onto the platform, a packed platform opposite began a spontaneous standing ovation, with hundreds of strangers clapping and cheering.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Liam shared that he felt sure it was his nine-year-old niece smiling down on him.

“It felt to me as if it was Freya’s way of saying thank you,” Liam shared with the YEP. “Freya loved to be the centre of attention, she loved sports, she loved dancing and she loved people.

“She also knew I didn’t like being centre of attention and loved teasing me so I think this was her way of saying thank you but equally laughing at me.”

The moment was captured on video and shared on TikTok, where it quickly gained traction and after being reshared by Jamie Laing, it reached a much wider audience and triggered an outpouring of kind messages and support.

Since then, the exposure has led to a significant increase in donations and awareness for Young Lives vs Cancer. The total raised has now nearly triple from £3,000 to over £8,500.

After Freya was diagnosed in January last year, Liam’s family were supported in relocating from their home in Wrexham by the charity’s Jack’s House, which offers free accommodation close to hospital Manchester Children’s Hospital, for parents and families of young people having cancer treatment.

Following Freya’s tragic death, the family decided to give back and found that the training offered a welcome escape from their unimaginable grief.

“We started training in October and it turned out to be quite a nice distraction from the grief, particularly for my sister and her husband” Liam said. “We’re all super competitive so we were all trying to beat each other’s times and I was probably running 60 miles a week.

“The London Marathon is in April so you’re training through the winter, in the rain, the cold and the dark. It’s tough to force yourself out sometimes but you’re doing it for this cause and people are donating, which is a brilliant inspiration.”

Liam revealed after flying through the first 15 miles, he then picked up a painful stitch and considered stopping, but thinking about Freya’s strength, along with the support and donations from others, kept him moving forward. He finished in just under 3 hours and 45 minutes.

After the marathon, Liam and his wife were in a rush to catch the train home to Leeds, but got on the wrong Tube at Westminster and made a split-second decision to get off at Monument.

When the train pulled away from the opposite platform, it was like a curtain lifting, the platform was completely packed. One person started clapping, then another, and within seconds the whole platform was cheering, clapping, blowing horns and shouting.

“It was such a wonderful moment,” Liam added. “Those people have no idea about my circumstances and story, but it’s a moment of true kindness.

“It’s a really pro people moment, a reminder that we can do good. We so often hear about the bad things in life but it shows the good humanity can do by being positive, really believing in people and cheering them on.”

You can donate to Young Lives vs Cancer: Liam's London Marathon for Freya online here.