TCS London Marathon, Sunday 27th April 2025

As a surgeon specialising in hip and knee replacements I see everyday the life changing impact of chronic pain and disability on peoples lives.

Helping Joint Action research for a cure and support sufferers with these degenerative conditions is vital and I’m proud to support this cause.

I am also keen to dispel the myth that running and exercise are bad for your joints.

Thanks to Joint Action I can demonstrate this first hand by pushing my body to its limits preparing for this event.

Regular weightbearing exercise stimulates the cartilage in your joints and helps it stay healthy. Keeping the muscles and ligaments that support and move the joints as strong and flexible as possible can help take pressure off painful joints and ease arthritic symptoms.

I am now the “wrong” side of fifty but can say that since I started running my hips and knees have never felt so good!

So why do a marathon? Well, it has always been on my bucket list...

When my dad, Bruce, died in early December last year after many years of battling illnesses I thought the timing was right to run a marathon in his honour. Bruce was a keen runner in his early years but sadly due to his ill health he never achieved a marathon and he had always wanted me to complete one. 

It is also a huge landmark for me, as this year I celebrate 30 years of working in the NHS. In those 30 years, I have worked in many guises, in many different parts of the healthcare world, there are many areas and charitable services that I could have chosen to run for over the years. 

So I decided to look into a charitable place supporting the medical world that has been so supportive over the years helping Bruce, and I am proud to say that I am taking on this marathon challenge on behalf of Joint Action and the British Orthopaedic Association. The BOA help patients by raising funds for research to improve Orthopaedic treatment, there are over 20 million people in the UK living with a musculoskeletal condition and they help by restoring mobility and giving people back their freedom and independence. As an Occupational Therapist, I understand how important it is for patients to be enabled to live more independently.

So on the 21^st April, I will be running for my dad, Bruce, as part of the official Joint Action Marathon Team and to tick that box. 

Over 10 million people in the UK are living with arthritis - that's 1 in 6 living with pain, immobility and fatigue, intruding into every facet of their daily lives. Over 20 million live with a musculoskeletal condition - that's 1 in 3.

Trauma and orthopaedic surgery is highly effective at restoring pain-free function, allowing people to work, live independently and enjoy their lives. The impact of surgery such as a hip replacement is truly transformative.

Joint Action is a charity which funds research into musculoskeletal conditions such as arthritis and I am running the 2024 London Marathon to help raise vital funds. 

I feel extremely fortunate not to be living with a condition like arthritis. My mantra, borrowed from my favourite Peloton instructor is: 'You don't have to do this. You get to do this' and on every run I try and remind myself that my body allows the privilege of pain-free movement and mobility. I am running my first (and quite possibly last!) marathon for those who don't share this privilege.

Please consider digging deep to support research into MSK conditions. I would really, really appreciate your support. 

I am very grateful for the opportunity to run the 2024 London Marathon and raise money for Joint Action.

I discovered my love for running while I was in medical school during the COVID pandemic. I discovered the mental and physical benefits of simply putting on my shoes and going for a run. This quickly became my coping mechanism a time that was extremely challenging and isolating for many people around the world. It was also during this time that I began to realise how fortunate I was to be able to run pain free and independently. Musculoskeletal disease carries a heavy burden on many people and their families.

By raising money and promoting the important work Joint Action does, I hope to raise awareness regarding research into musculoskeletal disorders. Such research is critical in order to ensure ever improving orthopaedic treatments that will enable restoring mobility and alleviating pain while at the same time giving people back their freedom and independence.

Bone and joint problems will affect the majority of us at some point during our lifetime, however charity donations are rarely directed towards research into musculoskeletal disease. There are so many aspects of bone and joint disease that are still not fully understood. 100% of your kind donation will be passed on to Joint Action, the research appeal of the British Orthopaedic Association.

I completed my first marathon in Paris in 2023.  I have now been offered the opportunity to run another marathon, this time while raising funds for Joint Action. As an orthopaedic surgeon I could not pass up this challenge! I really hope to achieve my goal of completing the London marathon in under 4 hours. Your support and generous donation will enable vital research into musculoskeletal disorders and orthopaedic treatment.

As an orthopaedic consultant I see the pain and disability that bone and joint diseases cause patients on a daily basis. It is a great privilege for me to help many patients get back to normal life as part of my job, whether that be to return to sporting activities or just to normal daily pain free function. Many of the operations and treatments that we have available are as a result of research and innovation.  However there are many bone and joint conditions that we still are unable to treat successfully and research into these is vital. 

Sport has been a big part of my life and I am very lucky to be able to enjoy running as a way of keeping fit and active. I am planning to run the London marathon and take the opportunity to raise funds for the British Orthopaedic Association to enable further research into bone and joint disease. 

As a medical student pursuing a career in orthopaedics I have had the opportunity to gain an understanding of how musculoskeletal conditions can have such a huge impact on all aspects of person's life. These conditions can be painful and debilitating. 

I grew up playing football and many of my friends have torn their ACLs which cut their sporting careers short prematurely. I have been sidelined with injury myself and it not only affected my physical health but my mental health as well. This will be my first marathon distance race and I am excited to push myself past my self-imposed limits! 

I learned about Joint Action while being involved with the British Orthopaedic Association as a medical student member. I hope that by running the London Marathon I can spread the word about the vital work Joint Action does in promoting and funding research to help people regain their independence and freedom. 

Ben Skinner

As the son of an orthopaedic surgeon, I have always been aware of the significant burdens sufferers of musculoskeletal diseases can carry. I am also aware of the vital work that Joint Action do in funding the research that can lighten these burdens. 

I am not able to directly better the lives of those suffering in the same way my dad and his colleagues do with joint replacements and other surgeries, however, I see this as an incredible opportunity to contribute to their cause. 

When running the London marathon on behalf of Joint Action I will be carrying a tree. More specifically, a 6-foot-high model of the Tree of Andry: a symbol for orthopaedics used around the world. It will be a small burden in comparison to millions of those battling musculoskeletal disease but my hope is that it will provoke questions, increase awareness and ultimately raise funding for this brilliant charity! 

Rob Gregory

I have spent nearly 30 years fixing bones and joints to help get people back on their feet (and skis and bikes and horses!) and want to test myself around our great capital city to generate some funding for the vital research needed to help us do what we do, with even more success. 

COVID hasn't been kind to those with chronic musculoskeletal conditions.  Every pound donated will help us bring smiles back to the faces of patients in desperate need.

Richard Secular

This is a fantastic charity that doesn't get the recognition it sometimes deserves, hopefully I can raise plenty of money that will assist funding going forward.  Dig deep please, 26.2 miles is months and month of hurt.

Imran Ahmed

Running my first marathon in 2021 was a great experience and I am extremely grateful to the BOA for providing me with another opportunity to run the London Marathon and raise funds for Joint Action. 

The experience has allowed me to develop my interest in distance running whilst it is very rewarding to help raise money for such a worthwhile cause.  I am looking forward to the opportunity to do it all over again!  Please donate and help support Joint Action.

Alex Chipperfield

I am an Orthopaedic surgeon specialising in hip and knee replacements.

I see the life changing effects of joint disease every day in my patients. Although I like to think that I can improve their quality of life with joint replacement surgery, I would love to see a world where people never reach a stage where this is required.  Running in support of Joint Action will help us all reach that goal.

Running is not something that comes naturally to me, so having a target to train for and a cause that's close to my heart to support helps massively with my motivation.

It’s easier to get out of bed early for a run, or tie on the trainers after a long day at work if you feel that a worthy cause will benefit from it.

A common misconception is that running is bad for your joints and can bring on arthritis. The opposite is true, running can be hugely beneficial for people who have wear and tear arthritis, strengthening muscles and supporting structures around failing joints, helping with weight loss and general cardiovascular fitness. This is advice that I often give to patients so it's about time I applied it to myself!

Running can be quite a solitary pursuit, and although occasionally that can be helpful in itself (sometimes even meditative) I find that including my wife, children and Roxy my Goldendoodle on my runs can keep me going and give me a lift on slower days. 

Please donate and help support Joint Action, and feel free to follow me on Strava to see my progress in the months ahead.

William Paton

I have been inspired by my dad (Professor Robin Paton), an orthopaedic surgeon, to run for the BOA's charity, Joint Action.

My favourite hobby is running, though this has not always been the case.  My dad took me out for a run in my second year of University.  Unfortunately, at this time, I was enjoying the social side of university a little too much… My Dad persuaded me to go on a run but I only managed half a mile before stopping with a stich.  This stimulated me to get fit.

13 marathons later and an Ironman (completed in July 22, see picture), running something which is fundamental to me and running the marathon on behalf of the BOA is a chance for me to raise necessary money to support musculo-skeletal research in the UK – a cause so important to my family.