A 25-year-old woman from Skewen will be taking on her first 10K in memory of her ‘happy, lively and sporty’ cousin who tragically died two years ago.
Ffion McCormick-Edwards will be running the Ogi Porthcawl 10K on Sunday 7 July and said her cousin, Kane, will be by her side as she crosses the finish line.
Kane Edwards, who was the youngest of three brothers, tragically drowned in May 2022 after going swimming with friends in Swansea’s River Tawe after school.
After getting into difficulty and dragged under the flowing water, Kane’s friends did what they could to try and find him. It wasn’t until an hour later, after an extensive search by the emergency services, that he was found unconscious. Devastatingly there was nothing that could be done to resuscitate him. He was just 13 years old.
Ffion said: “Kane’s death really shook the family. When we found out we just thought it couldn’t be real. It wasn’t uncommon for them to cool off in the river after school or on weekends so it was a freak tragedy that could never have been predicted.
“Kane was so lively and very cheeky. He was always very happy and would chat to anyone. He loved music, hanging out with his friends and was very sporty – and especially into rugby. He was an incredible person who had so much going for him.”
Two years on, after completing the Couch to 5K programme and getting involved with her local parkrun, Ffion, who owns her own business recycling wetsuits into accessories, will now be taking on the Ogi Porthcawl 10K on Sunday 7 July in Kane’s memory.
She said: “Kane was so sporty and active, and I can imagine that he’d have really enjoyed doing a race like this, so I want to run it in his honour – I have no doubt that Kane will be with me as I cross the finish line.
“I’ve not done anything like this before, so it’ll be my first proper running event. I’m really looking forward to being amongst lots of other runners who all have their own reasons and motivations for running – it will help me to keep going when things get hard.”
Ffion added: “I’ll be wearing Kane’s favourite colour which is red, and all of our family will be there to support including my auntie – Kane’s mum. She has been so amazing at holding the family together through everything. She’s so empowering. While we have all got very good at putting on brave faces, it’s nice when we’re all together.
“We can now appreciate all our memories of Kane and talk about him without getting too upset. And we know he’ll never be forgotten. Each year a memorial rugby match is held in his name and whenever there is a family get together like a birthday, or special occasion, we’ll always do something in his memory. Kane’s always there and included and he’ll be there with us during the Porthcawl 10K too.”
Matt Newman, Chief Executive at event organisers Run 4 Wales, added: “We’re so in awe of Ffion’s strength in being able to channel such a great loss into something so positive. Challenging herself to run the Ogi Porthcawl 10K in Kane’s memory is such an incredible thing to do. We’re sure she’ll be inspiring many people out there and look forward to cheering her around the course.”
