TCS London Marathon, Sunday 23rd April 2023

On Sunday 23rd April 2023 our team of amazing runners took part in the TCS London Marathon to raise money for the Joint Action appeal of the British Orthopaedic Association. Their goal is to raise over £13,000 to support vital research into musculoskeletal conditions, transforming lives and giving people back their freedom and independence.

You can still support our runners through the fundraising link below:

Donate through TCS fundraising

Fundraising Resources

We have some really great ideas in our Official Fundraising Pack which you can download below. When you know what you want to do email us at [email protected] or call us on 020 7406 1767.

FUNDRAISING PACK

You can set up a fundraising page through these various options:

JUSTGIVING TCS FUNDRAISING

The 2023 TCS London Marathon British Orthopaedic Association’s Charity Place Terms and Conditions can be found here.

Further event info can be found on the TCS London Marathon Event website.

Previous Fundraising Events

TCS London Marathon 2022

On 2nd October 2022 our amazing runners took part in the TCS London Marathon to raise money for the Joint Action appeal of the British Orthopaedic Association. Their goal was to raise over £13,000 to support vital research into musculoskeletal conditions, transforming lives and giving people back their freedom and independence.

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.

Sponsor Will

Virgin Money London Marathon 2021

Congratulations and thank you to Imran Ahmed, Robert Jordan, Lee Longstaff, Zaid Ali and Philippa Turner for running the London Marathon on Sunday 3rd October. Their amazing efforts have raised over £10,000 to support vital research in orthopaedics.

Imran, Robert and Lee have shared their experiences which we hope will inspire you to get involved. If you are interested in running the London Marathon to help raise funds for Joint Action, please contact us at [email protected].

Lee Longstaff

“Thank you BOA for giving me the opportunity to run the London Marathon and raise funds for joint action in 2021! It was an absolutely
fantastic day. Beautiful weather, cheering and supportive crowds and the camaraderie of the runners around me. It was a great first marathon even after hitting ‘the wall’ at about mile 22. The knowledge that so many sponsors were behind me and the positive impact that the funds would have spurred me on to the finish. This will not be my last!”

Imran Ahmed

“Running my first marathon was a great experience and I am extremely grateful to the BOA for providing me with the opportunity to fulfil this ambition. It was also rewarding to help raise money for a worthwhile cause. This experience has allowed me to develop my interest in distance running which is something I am looking forward to for the foreseeable future. It was also really fun being able to run with Robert Jordan for the majority of the race. I’d like to once again thank the team at BOA for all the support to make our experience a smooth one. I look forward to the opportunity to do this again!”

Robert Jordan

Robert Jordan & Imran Ahmed

“Thank you to Joint Action for the opportunity to take on the London Marathon again. After all the cancelled events over the last 18 months, it was great to be running the iconic London Marathon, making all those early morning training runs worthwhile! The crowds were fantastic and it was especially rewarding to complete it with my friend, Imran Ahmed, both of us fundraising for Joint Action. I am sure the money we raised will be put to good use.”

Virgin Money London Marathon 2019

Congratulations to Paul Banaszkiewicz, Alan Cooney, Paul Harnett, Robert Jordan, Ann Oldroyd, Pete Thompson, Jonathan Waite and Caesar Wek for running the London Marathon on Sunday 28th April 2019! We would like to especially congratulate Paul Harnett on his finishing time of 5 hours 30 minutes whilst running in ski boots, this was also a New World Record! The Joint Action runners raised an amazing £14,000. Thank you so much for participating to raise the much-needed funds for Joint Action, the only UK charity that specialises in raising and distributing funds to the entire musculoskeletal spectrum.

Paul Banaszkiewicz

"Running the London marathon has to be one of the achievements to look back on in later life. One of the world’s best marathons, fantastic crowds, fantastic atmosphere, running through historic iconic landmarks of London. Joint action is a really worthwhile cause it’s what we ideally should be aligned with as orthopaedic surgeons treating arthritis on a daily basis. Don’t think too much or worry about whether you will manage it to complete it just sign up for next year’s run and get going. You will have a fantastic experience."

Alan Cooney

“The London Marathon is an iconic sporting event and I’d encourage anyone to take part. The winter training can be gruelling but having something to aim for makes getting out of bed on a cold, dark morning all the easier. And it’ll all be worth it as you come down The Mall at the end. Pain is temporary but glory is forever!”

Paul Harnett

I’m Pelvis and Acetabular Reconstruction at King’s College Hospital, London. At the London Marathon I broke the Guiness Book of world records or running a marathon in ski-boots, with a time of 5 hours 30 minutes 27 seconds. I raised over 7 thousand pounds, via my fundraising website, skibootmarathon.com. On the day of the big race, I had a technical glitch with the timing tracker strapped to the side of my ski boots, so it didn’t work, this meant I had to wait an agonising 3 days until the official result was announced. Thank you so much to all those who sponsored me.

I was really worried about getting a femoral neck stress fracture, most of my colleagues including me have a seen one or two patients over the years with a femoral neck stress fracture running the London marathon, so it’s not that rare, but lucking my hips held up just fine, I’d run a few more miles each week in the boots, up to 20 miles three weeks before the race. A couple of time I ran 8 miles to work in my ski boots through Hyde Park and past Buckingham Palace, I certain got a few weird looks, but sometimes people didn’t bat an eyelid, ‘ just another weird thing in London ‘. The race mostly fun, towards the end, my proximal medial tibial plateau was hurting a lot, and I was imagining the bone stress reaction on the T2 MRI while I was running. A few miles later I was sure I had a 2nd meta-tarsal stress fracture (a Marchers’ fracture!), I thought to myself “if that’s the only injury I get, I’ll take that in exchange for a world record“. In the end, I just had few blisters, killer thigh pains for a few days, and one very proud 8 year old son.

Robert Jordan

“Running the London Marathon has been a great experience and I am grateful to Joint Action for the opportunity. The chance to set personal goals, experience the supportive London crowds whilst raising money for a good cause made me return for a second year and I would recommend it to others!”

Ann Oldroyd

“My two daughters have scoliosis so have worn braces to control the curvatures of their spines. To run the London Marathon for the British Orthopaedic Association was an opportunity to give something back. I thoroughly enjoyed my whole London Marathon experience. I can’t say the training wasn’t hard at times but it was all worth it on the day to run with the crowds behind you and for a worthy cause.”

Peter and Jon

“Jon Waite and Pete Thompson completed the 2019 London Marathon which turned out to be the biggest ever with over 42,000 competitors. It’s a truly memorable and spectacular event with a route that takes in many of the famous sights of London. However the most impressive part is the crowd support. At times it’s deafening with cheering, singing and music including steel drums and DJ's. Despite being in a world of pain from 20 miles you don't dare to stop running! It’s an emotional day that will stay with you for ever so suggest you get signed up for next year."

Caesar Wek

"Completing the London Marathon was one of the most rewarding experiences in my life and I will be forever grateful to the BOA for allowing me to represent Joint Action. The support throughout the run was fantastic with crowds cheering from start to finish. There were lots of sweets, jelly babies and even ice-lollies on offer from the passers-by! There were many emotional highs and lows, especially when my headphone battery died, however the support from the crowds helped carry me to the finish line. Thanks again for giving me the opportunity to support such a worthy charity! Caesar Wek, ST6 in Trauma & Orthopaedics, South East Thames Rotation"