'It's amazing what your body can do'

Builder Norman Lane, 63, hasn't stopped running since he had a double hip replacement

"I used to be a keen footballer and ran around 80 miles a week until I started to have problems with my hips when I was around 40. The doctor diagnosed osteoarthritis.

"At first it wasn't too bad, but gradually things got so painful that I couldn't turn over in bed at night, let alone run. The surgeon said both my hips were 'shot' and suggested a double hip replacement, which I had done in 1998.

"The operation lasted eight hours.The day after, it took me 20 minutes to walk to the end of the bed and back. It seemed impossible that I would ever run again, but I was determined. I didn't want to die with my new hips unused!

"I was in hospital for a week. It was painful at first but I stopped taking painkillers after two days and the pain gradually went away over the course of about a month. My attitude was, 'It's only pain and it will get better'.

"After a month, I was riding a bike.After six months, I started to do some gentle running and very gradually built it up over the course of a year. After 18 months, I ran the Majorca marathon in3 hours and14 minutes, winning the international over-50 category. I did the New York and London marathons the next year and, three years ago, I ran from John O'Groats to Land's End, raisingmore than 25,000. It took me 28 days and my wife had to pull me off the road at the end. I just got fitter and fitter over the course of it. It's amazing what your body can do.

"There are some things I still can't do. I don't play football now and I would never jump off a scaffold. I run an averageof 40 to 50 miles a week. I'm really pleased I had the operation and would advise anyone to go for it."