"I run to raise awareness." Skybound Business Development Manager runs the London Marathon to support Versus Arthritis!

Skybound Wealth Management’s Business Development Manager, Callum Murphy, is running the London Marathon in 2022 for research charity, Versus Arthritis, following his own battle with the illness and the Skybound Team are behind him all the way!

The London Marathon, which will take place on the 2nd of October 2022 and is routed around the River Thames, only reserves only 40,000 spaces annually. Callum faced fierce competition to secure a place in the race, applying immediately after the 2021 race was complete, to ensure he got a spot to raise money for a cause close to his heart!

Callum, an active runner and rugby player, was forced to press pause on his energetic lifestyle when he started to suffer with the condition in 2019. Unaware he had Arthritis, Callum experienced large physical and social impacts when symptoms such as joint pain, stiffness, and inflammation of his joints began to affect him.

Callum’s condition was worsened by a misdiagnosis and treatment which did not ease his symptoms and added to his recovery time – he spent time on crutches and had to temporarily stop working.

Now, nearly 3 years down the line, Callum is correctly diagnosed and has made a fantastic recovery. With a newfound passion to increase knowledge and raise awareness for arthritis he has set himself the goal to raise £5000 for Versus Arthritis.

Versus Arthritis is the UK's largest charity dedicated to supporting people with arthritis. It was launched in September 2018, following the merger of the two leading arthritis charities in the UK – Arthritis Research UK and Arthritis Care.

Callum said “Versus arthritis is a fantastic charity! They combine support for people suffering in the short term and research to improve treatments in the long term. Experiencing a misdiagnosis of my arthritis highlighted to me how severe the impacts can be if there is a lack of knowledge on the variations of the condition, the different medications, and effects of taking the wrong medication. I hope that, as myself and others assist with fundraising, Versus Arthritis will be able to continue to develop breakthrough treatments and campaign for arthritis to be seen as a priority.”

He added “A Marathon is going to be a huge challenge for me. Even though you wouldn’t visibly notice that I have disability and I have made a lot of progress in my recovery, I still feel some impacts and have had to adjust to the reality of the condition. I was shocked at how young I was diagnosed with the arthritis – my aim is not to only raise money for a charity which helps those suffering, but to raise awareness of Arthritis in younger generations.”

If you would like to sponsor Callum, he has created a JustGiving page where all donations are submitted directly to Versus Arthritis.

Visit his JustGiving page here! 

We’ll keep you updated with his progress!