William Morley Sichel was born 1 October 1953 in Welford, Northamptonshire, UK where he lived for the first 10 years of his life. He is a science graduate of the University of London (1976). He is now an International ultra distance runner and has the distinction of having won his debut races at 100 km, 24 hours and Six Days. He was world number one for the Six Day event in 2006 and has represented Great Britain eleven times since 1996.[1] He is a former British 100 km champion, world 100 km champion for his age group, and world record holder for treadmill endurance.[2] Since 1982 he has lived on the Orkney island of Sanday.
He won the Monaco Six Day race in 2006 and 2007, and also in 2006 came 7th in the 135 mile (216 km) Badwater Ultramarathon in Death Valley, California in a record time for a British runner, becoming the first Scot to complete the event .[3][4] In 2007 he became the Scottish 48-hour record holder, and achieved the best British performance for nine years in the Spartathlon in Greece.[5]
He accomplished these achievements despite having previously had cancer.[6]
Sichel is a director of the Sanday Development Trust, and was nominated for Orkney's Citizen of the Year award in 2006 and 2007.[5]