I dreaded retirement. Not playing again leaves a big void and life can get very lonely
EX-WALES STAR WILLIAMS ON HOW CHARITY CHALLENGES HAVE HELPED HIM COPE
THE pain began before Tower Bridge. By mile 15 Shane Williams’ glutes and hamstrings were pleading for mercy.
As he left the City and passed along the Embankment his head started to throb. His shoulders cramped up. Finally, his calf went.
Yet when Wales’ record tryscorer finished the London Marathon he thought, ‘How good was that’. “Worth every second of the pain,” said the wing wizard. “Loved every moment. It gave me the feeling back again.” It is a decade since Williams’ last Test, seven years since he announced his retirement. He thrived in the land of rugby giants but this pocket rocket makes no such claim about life beyond the final whistle.
“I knew there was going to be a big void in my life once rugby had gone,” he said. “Not playing was something I absolutely dreaded. It’s the camaraderie of the day to day stuff you miss the most. I struggled without it.”
Williams was luckier than most. He started to prepare while still running rings round opponents. Before the last of his 58 Wales tries he began putting in place charity challenges, be they Ironman, marathon, gruelling bike rides. “People always think, ‘You played rugby or football, you earned quite a bit of money, you did quite well, you must be fine’,” he said. “But everyone has their problems. Money doesn’t solve everything. We all cry, whether we’re a 6ft 11in second row or a 5ft 6in winger that used to play for Wales. We all get upset, depressed, suffer from anxiety in some shape or form.” Last weekend brought Mental Health Day and a reminder that, as Williams puts it, “life’s not all sunshine and rainbows”. He added: “You go from spending almost every day – breakfast, lunch, sometimes dinner – with these boys around you. Then one day they’re not there any more. It can be very, very lonely.
“I’ve spoken to a lot of lads who really struggled and at times been in dark places. Some are still struggling five to 10 years after retiring. As a sport we need to look out for each other more.”
Williams’ run - a personal best of 3hr 24min - was for Velindre Cancer Centre. He also supports the Tackle HIV campaign led by his pal Gareth Thomas (left) in partnership with ViiV Healthcare and Terence Higgins Trust. More info at www.tacklehiv.org