Myfanwy's story: from juvenile arthritis to ultra-marathons for Arthritis UK

Myfanwy Thomas, 45, from Cardiff, says chronic arthritis has shaped her whole life. She had thought running was not for people with arthritis but found it helped her condition. She completed her first London Marathon in 2016 and has since run a number of races before returning to London this year to run 26 miles to raise funds for Arthritis UK.

Diagnosed with juvenile, then psoriatic arthritis

I was two when my parents noticed my right thumb and fingers were bothering me we went to hospital where they diagnosed juvenile arthritis. At six it had spread to other joints so I was given methotrexate and also had physio, hot and cold therapy and horrible leg splints I had to sleep in.

I was keen on sports, hockey, netball and athletics and, in my teens, went to aerobics and the gym. I don’t remember arthritis holding me back and assumed I’d grown out of it but, sadly, that wasn’t the case. At 17 I went to college and left most of my sports behind, I also caught glandular fever then got hit by a car which left me severely bruised. I don’t know if it was one of these things or all three which brought back arthritis, I just know it was serious.

The swelling, stiffness and pain was horrific and, as they thought I’d grown out of arthritis, I had to wait months before finally seeing a rheumatologist who diagnosed psoriatic arthritis. I was prescribed sulfasalazine, along with non-steroid anti-inflammatories, but I still had flare ups. My rheumatologist eventually persuaded me of the benefits of drainage and steroid injections in my joints which really helped.

A couple of years later I had my first child and pregnancy hormones eased my illness but after the birth I had one of the worst flare ups of my life. After my second pregnancy I was ready for the flare by resuming meds more quickly and exercising but my rheumatologist was concerned my arthritis was progressing so prescribed a biologic, Humira, which was life-changing.  

Discovering running is good for arthritis

It was a year after I had my third baby that a few of the mums suggested a run which I’d always assumed was bad for arthritis. I’d only ever ran to warm up for the gym and thought 15 minutes was a long run but I decided to give it a try and soon started to miss it when I couldn’t go.

I did my first race, the World Half Marathon, in Cardiff in March 2016 and absolutely loved it. Six months later I ran the Cardiff Half and had never felt so fit in my life, instead of making my arthritis worse, I felt better. 

I ran a few races over the next couple of years then won a space for the London Marathon and training was going well until I woke up one morning feeling awful. I assumed it was because I’d been out the night before and had also had a bit of a cold but by the Saturday I was scared so went to the GP who realised it was the beginning of sepsis and sent me to the emergency unit where I was given IV antibiotics. 

Three weeks later I somehow managed to run the London Marathon then, the following week, the Newport Marathon. 

Raising funds for Arthritis UK

I did two more marathons in 2019 but 2020 was a bad year as Covid coincided with my meds stopping working after I was switched to Adalimumab which my body did not accept. After a few months my rheumatologist put me back on Humira but my body had developed anti-bodies and wouldn’t accept it anymore.

It was a year of pain, damaged joints and steroid injections as they tried me on different medications before, finally, in February 2021, giving me methotrexate and Benepali. Within a day the pain and inflammation was gone and a couple of weeks later I started running again.

Six months later I ran my first Ultra marathon and I’ve not looked back. I’ve been stable for over five years and, in that time, have run 10 marathons and seven ultra-marathons and the EDDUM 50 miler in Wales. I’m currently training for the Marathon Eryri in October.

Last April I ran the London Marathon and raised £3015 for Arthritis UK. It was a brilliant day and it meant a lot to run for a cause that is so important to me.  They provide information and support, lobby government and they also fund research without which I may not be walking that well, let alone running. 

Arthritis UK’s ambition, like mine, is that one day ‘no one will have to live with the pain, fatigue and isolation that arthritis causes’. I also want to raise awareness, to give hope to others and show that, with the right treatment for arthritis, you can live a full and active life.