Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I said last year that this would be my penultimate Great North Run, and nothing has happened in between to change that thought.  It becomes tougher and tougher, and I need to do more every year just to maintain the same level of fitness. Which is a problem when you don't have a lot of 'spare' time.  But I'm determined to complete 15 events, even if I can no longer aim to finish on the faster side of 2 hours.  But I sincerely hope to finish in less than 3! 

As ever I am running for Arthritis Research UK.  They generously continue to fund my lab's research, as well as educating people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.  And increasingly they influence national policy to heighten awareness of these often overlooked conditions which can ruin lives acutely, but also in insidious and covert ways.  You may even have seen TV adverts sponsored by the charity earlier in the year.  And it's not just about joint pains and arthritis.  For example, rheumatic diseases can cause inflammation of blood vessels, which can then reduce the blood supply to vital organs such as the brain, the heart and the kidneys.  You can imagine the consequences, and the devastation, when these conditions affect previously fit and well individuals, often young people and even children.  But at some point we are all likely to suffer from more common conditions such as osteoarthritis - and if the research funded by Arthritis Research UK succeeds, by the time our children grow old they may not be treated with knee and hip replacements but with stem cells and regenerative medicine techniques.

So, for the penultimate time, please dig deep and donate to this excellent cause.  And make my own pain and suffering worth the many months of training - I can no longer afford to stop, and now train all year for this event.  And, as ever, I will add 10% to every donation when I close my 2018 fundraising page.

Thank you again, John

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.