Geordie Wardman To Run In Memory Of Son
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Geordie Wardman will tackle a 100-mile ultra-marathon across the Utah desert as part of a “crazy goal” to raise $100,000 to start a scholarship in memory of his son Finn, who died in a tragic accident last year.
Finn, who was studying business administration at Durham University in England, was just 20 years old when he was killed in St Legier, Switzerland, on April 8 last year.
A few days before Finn’s funeral service, on April 13, Mr Wardman was running with an old friend, Chase Toogood, when he came up with a fitting idea to honour Finn’s memory.
“I was pretty manic when I had the idea and wasn’t understanding half of the things coming out of my mouth,” Mr Wardman told Bernews.
“I was running with an old friend, Chase Toogood, and told him I liked the idea of 100 miles to raise $100,000 [to start a scholarship]. Chase said, ‘OK, I’ll do it with you’.
“From that point on, I was locked in. We’re hand in hand on this journey together, which I really appreciate.”
Mr Wardman, who has run ultra-marathons of 50 miles several times, will perform the challenge with his brother Christopher Wardman, who will run a shorter distance, and Mr Toogood in Zion National Park in Utah on April 13.
The Finn Wardman Culture & Diversity Scholarship will offer students in Bermuda and Mexico who want to travel but do not have the means, the opportunity to take advantage of the World Explorer Student Grant to pursue their passions, gain leadership skills and experience adventure.
“Finn was fortunate to come from a family that could provide him these types of travel experiences,” said Mr Wardman, a Bermudian software developer and entrepreneur who left the island in 2010.
“I really feel that was an integral part of Finn’s development. In his memory, if we could change the lives of one of two local children to start, that would be something.
“The scholarship is something he would appreciate, giving young people the opportunity to travel, experience adventure, and try new things.
“These experiences shouldn’t be just for the financially fortunate.”
The past year has been close to unbearable for Mr Wardman, his wife, Kirsten, and their son Somers.
He said focusing on training for the 100-mile challenge and launching the scholarship has given his life some purpose.
“Last year was the worst of my life,” he said. “We’re still dealing with unbelievable pain.
“Life had lost meaning. I’ve had some very dark times, but this has given me a bit of a spark back. Trying to help some children in Finn’s name has given me a sense of purpose.”
As part of the healing process, Mr Wardman has written a song, ‘I’ll Be Running For You’, with a Malawi reggae singer, Zion the Messenger. The video features footage of Finn.
“I wrote out some lyrics, and I went out and found a guy from Malawi,” added Mr Wardman, who intends to expand the scholarship programme in future years.
“We started bouncing around rhythms, and we collaborated. It was a lot more meaningful for me to write my own words for this song.”
For more information visit finnwardman.com.
Individuals and corporations can donate to the Finn Wardman Culture & Diversity Scholarship through GoFundMe at www.gofundme.com/f/finn-wardman-charity
