Ollie Nash is running the Midnight Sun Marathon in Tromsø, Norway, under the continuous daylight of the summer solstice, as a tribute to Chris Ramsey. The fundraiser has already raised over £10,000 for Guy's Cancer Charity, and it is rooted in a Brentford friendship rather than any wider footballer-in-running story. Ramsey died in October 2025 after a four-and-a-half-year illness, having been diagnosed in October 2021 aged 35.
Why Nash chose this run
Nash's explanation is simple enough. He told BBC Sport: "I just wanted to do something to remember him because... he was just such an amazing guy and did so much for me as another Australian living, living far away from home."
He also said: "Chris really helped me with the settlement period. It was nice to have someone know what it was like to be so far from home and he had a huge impact on me as a person as well." That is the core of this story. Nash is not using the marathon as a vague gesture of support, he is doing it for someone who helped him settle and who clearly mattered on a personal level.
The setting gives the run extra weight. Nash said Ramsey had run the same marathon in his early 20s, and that it takes place in the week of Ramsey's birthday. The race is a tribute, but it is also a continuation of a memory Ramsey already had.
A fundraiser with a clear purpose
Bianca, Ramsey's widow, said the effort brings "so much comfort" and called it "such a beautiful thing" to see in his memory. That is probably the most important reaction here. The run is not just about Nash's relationship with Ramsey, it is also giving his family something tangible to hold onto.
Sara Hulf, an oncology advanced nurse practitioner at Guy's Cancer Centre, remembered Ramsey as "so positive and bright and smiley" and said it was a privilege to look after him. That kind of testimony matters because it places the tribute in the context of the care he received and the people who knew him well.
Brentford is part of the background, but not the point. Ramsey was a former under-18s goalkeeping coach who became head of goalkeeper coaching at the Brentford FC academy, and Nash's charity effort reflects that connection. The fundraising total, already above £10,000, tells you the tribute has landed with people who knew Ramsey and people who simply want to support the cause.
If the marathon itself is the headline, the reason for it is what gives the story its force. Nash is running in Tromsø because Ramsey helped him, Ramsey mattered to his family, and the money is going to Guy's Cancer Charity. That is enough on its own, and the donation total has already moved past £10,000.
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