A HIP replacement just 18 months ago will not stop an Olympic Torch-bearer from Romford taking part in the London leg of a brand new Women's Running 10k series.
Determined Susie Colvill, 49, will join over 1,000 women on Saturday to run the new female-only race at London's Finsbury Park.
Ms Colvill, who has already taken part in the 2013 London Marathon since her operation, first took up running to cope with the stress and hurt following the breakdown of her marriage in 2009.
More than two years later an MRI scan revealed her hip was gradually being corroded due to an Avascular Necrosis, a condition in which bone dies due to interruption of the blood supply.
The fitness fanatic, who ran with the Olympic Torch through Stepney in Tower Hamlets, said: "I have always led a busy and active lifestyle as I am a group exercise instructor and teach full time, up to 25 classes per week.
"Prior to that, I was a competitive ice skater and coached for a number of years after. I decided to start running to make some time for myself, to help me through my break up.
"I started on the treadmill as I was really daunted by running outside, I would only ever do so when it was a nice day. Once I built up my running fitness, I decided it was time to enter some events. I did a half marathon and really enjoyed it, and then I got the bug and entered more.
"I began to feel a little niggle in my hip. I eventually had an MRI scan which revealed I had Avascular Necrosis."
Even though her troubled hip was causing her pain, she took part in the 2012 Virgin London Marathon, raising cash for the for the Cardiomyopathy Association.
She added: "By the time the diagnosis came, I had secured a place in the marathon and I'd already taken part in a half marathon and several 10k races, ignorant to the fact I had a serious condition.
"No matter how much pain I was in, I wanted to complete it and raise money for the Cardiomyopathy Association, so I kept on training. I wanted to help and running was the easiest way for me to raise funds."
"Marathon day was great, but I was in lots of pain. With the support of my new fiancé, I ran, hobbled, walked and limped the course, finishing in seven hours and nine minutes. I felt really disappointed with my time, and hid my medal for a year. Looking back now, I should have been elated.
Ms Colvill's hip replacement operation came just two days after she ran the London Marathon, in April 2012.
She said: "I had the operation and was out of hospital in two days, back on the cross trainer after ten days and back at work teaching classes after three and a half weeks.
"I was lucky enough to carry the Olympic Torch, and I started running again that day, in July 2012. I wanted to get back into racing, so I started with a 5k in October 2012 just six months after my operation, and have taken part in lots of other races this year, including the London Marathon.
"This time, I finished in four hours and 17 minutes, running the whole course. I was so proud and that was when it dawned on me what an achievement it was – not the fact that I ran with a new hip, but the fact that I completed it the year before with a hip that needed replacing. I now have both medals proudly on display at home".
This year she has completed four half marathons and ran every distance from a 5k to a marathon in the year since the operation. Her next race is the Women's Running 10k on Saturday.
The Finsbury Park Women's Running™ 10K race is the third and final race in the 2013 series, with the first two events taking place in Bristol and Nottingham earlier this year.
Ms Colvill has raised over £2,000 for the Cardiomyopathy Association in the past 18 months, and hopes to raise another £1,000 by the end of the year. To sponsor her, go to www.virgin moneygiving.com/team/susieand graham. Saturday's event is still open for entries, priced at £25, plus a small booking fee.
For more information go to www.wr10k.co.uk
