For most fans, a goal means a cheer. For Tom Wilmott, it also means another mile.
The Manchester runner is taking on a World Cup fundraising challenge, running a mile for every goal scored in the tournament to raise money for Brain Tumour Support and Compton Care hospice in Wolverhampton.
Wilmott said he chose the charities because he lived in the West Midlands for two years and became aware of the work they do.
He said he was fundraising because, although the tournament was an exciting time, many people were not able to enjoy it due to illness or personal challenges.
“The main reason I’m doing it, the main thing that keeps me motivated is the World Cup is just such a great time, for me the buzz and all the excitement around it, it almost feels like Christmas,” he said.
But he said it was important to think about those who loved the World Cup but were not able to enjoy it because of their own or someone else’s illness.
“Similarly there’s people who would love nothing more but to go for a run.
“I’m so blessed that I’m able to go out and run 10 miles, some people would say crazy, but I still have that opportunity and that’s why I think it’s important.”
So far he has run 121 miles in 11 days and raised £1,635 towards a £2,000 target. His longest run in a single day has been 19 miles, which he described as “a sore one”.
As the last round of the group stages approaches and the schedule increases from four games a day to six, he said he would “just have to do a lot of running” despite this week’s heatwave.
Wilmott said he had been fitting runs around his job, getting up at about 05:00 to do miles before work and finishing with another run later in the evening. He said he would stick to that routine as the weather gets hotter.
Looking at historic tournament data and taking into account the expanded team format this year, he said he had expected an average of three goals a game.
“Going for the grand total, that probably means there’s 300 goals,” he said.
“I think that’s over a 38-day period, which doesn’t seem as bad, but most of the games will happen in the group stage.
“Currently there’s four matches a day and for the last round of the group stages it’s actually six matches a day…. so that’s going to be absolutely brutal.”
He said that if he reaches his £2,000 fundraising target by Sunday after the group stage, he will add goals scored in penalties to the challenge.
He has been posting his runs on Instagram account @runtheworldcup and said that, apart from feeling a little tired, he had not suffered any injuries so far.
“I’m confident I will complete it and I can’t give up on people I’m raising money for,” he said.
“I think I’m the only person in the country who doesn’t want a hot summer this year though.”
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