Jonathan Ball raised money for NASS in 2010 taking part firstly in the Great North Run in September with his wife and sister before taking on the New York Marathon in November. Here is his story.

It all started with a swollen knee.  Having just returned from a skiing holiday in January 2003 I put this down to overdoing it on the slopes.  When the problem persisted and prevented me from doing any other exercise I thought it was about time to go to the doctors.

After months of going backwards and forwards from the hospital it was one of my consultants that noticed limited movement in my neck which sent us down a different route.  A month or so later I was diagnosed with AS.

From being an active individual who loved running, skiing & surfing the condition left me without the ability to do anything....... or so I thought! Six years later I was on crutches watching my sister running the Great North Run an event I'd previously enjoyed participating in I wondered if I would ever be able to do that again.

In September 2009 I started on new medication etanercept  - the sixth type of treatment I'd tried. After only a few months I started to really feel a difference and the flare ups became less severe.  This combined with regular physio also improved the movement in my neck and spine. 

By the start of 2010 I started light jogging and entered myself into a couple of 10k races.  In September 2010 I completed the Great North Run (GNR) with my sister and my wife in support of NASS.  This definitely gave me the bug again.

Following my success at the GNR and feeling fit and well I decided I wanted a bigger challenge and another opportunity to raise some funds for NASS.  I entered the New York City Marathon.

My continued treatment of AS with etanercept injections allowed me to carry on with my training with limited setbacks and I completed my first marathon in November 2010 in 3h 30mins.

If someone had told me 5 years ago that I would've completed a 5km run never mind a marathon I wouldn't have believed them.  The body is an amazing thing.

Raj Mahapatra loves a challenge and in June 2010 he took on 'Bob' - the Bob Graham Round.

For those of you who don't know the Bob Graham Round is a long distance, multi peak challenge involving 70 miles and 42 peaks. If that's not enough for you, the aim is to do it in one day. The combined ascent is just 1,000 feet short of Mount Everest and Raj chose to run it.

Raj was diagnosed with AS when he was a young man. This is his story.

"Twenty years ago I went through a two year spell when I was on crutches unable to walk. I spent a further 3 years unable to run. I later was diagnosed as having AS. It gives me a tendency to repetitive strain injuries, tendonitis and the like. I was diagnosed moderate exercise."

He may have been diagnosed moderate exercise but Raj chose to ignore this and take on Bob, undergoing 8 months of rigorous training.

Although he did not manage to finish it, completing around 40 miles, this is still a massive achievement for Raj and we guess what? He's trying it again in 2011!

Raj has since impressed so much that he was invited to speak at the recent AStretch conference in Manchester about just how he managed!

Duncan Ellis and his friend Tom Harvey raised over £4,000 for NASS in 2009. Duncan has AS and told us of his experiences.

"My background with the disease was following a work placement in India for 8 weeks, I was very ill with 'Delhi Belly' through a number of gut infections. This evolved into Crohn's disease and the onset of worsening back pain. Having been through numerous doctors offices and not had a diagnosis for SIJ pain, things went from bad to worse. Pilates and physio was of limited help but swimming gave me some relief. In July 2008 after debilitating pain, I was finally diagnosed with AS. This has lead to me being treated with Infliximab infusions which has turned things around. This coupled with regular swimming keeps me relatively free of side-effects."

After discovering that swimming really helped his AS, Duncan decided to take this to the extreme and do the ultimate swimming challenge with his friend Tom - a cross channel swim from Dover to Calais. This is how Duncan describes the events of that day.

"We made the journey to Dover where we inhaled our last proper meal and headed over to the marina. We departed at about 00:30 on a Thursday morning and motored over to the beach, West of Dover Harbour. Tom drew the short straw and had the first 'shift'. He swam into the beach, got out of the water, and then was given the green light to start. Working in 2hr shifts, one in, one out, we started the slow journey to France. Through the English waters, into the first shipping lane, and then into the second, then finally into the French waters beyond, up to the French coast and the beach of Cap Gris Nez."

"The key to success was good admin and recovery. On leaving the water, taking in energy drinks, hot tea and some hot food. John and Elin (friends of Tom) were amazing in managing this element, making sure all we had to do was swim. The boat pilots steered the most efficient course, radioing and avoiding large ships and negotiating the tides to optimal effect. There were times where it was necessary to sprint, to avoid ships or to beat the worst of the tides, and in the final stages this was particularly important as the tide had turned against us and was threatening to drag us back into the channel."

"Overall it was a dramatic and challenging experience, and having landed in France, the sense of achievement was absolute. A French man approached me on the beach, asking "Vous avez traverser?". "Oui" was the answer, followed by a look from him as if to say "Stupid English!" I'm not sure that I will do anything similar to this again, but I will definitely be continuing open water swimming."

To see Duncan and Tom`s video of the challenge click here.