Kieran to run the MK Marathon to prove dreams don’t die with pain
4 May 2026 marks a very momentous day for chronic pain sufferer Kieran Hinsley. You see, this is the day of the Milton Keynes Marathon. Kieran may suffer with crippling pain, but he wants to show his fellow sufferers that big dreams can still be achieved.
Pain and guilt
At just 25 years old, Kieran’s swollen, stiff fingers prevented him from even being able to do up the front of his baby girl’s clothes. Why isn’t the guilt of those suffering with pain talked about more? This guilt and the inability to function as he so wished prompted Kieran to fear he was failing both as a dad and a husband.
Pain like a silent rebellion
In his mid-twenties, an age when most young men feel invincible, Kieran’s body was staging a silent rebellion against him. Things were unbearable, yet his further anguish was that he was fighting to be believed. He states, ‘I spent years trying to convince doctors that something was wrong’.
Taking back control
Over the next few years, Kieran’s pain and swelling spread throughout his body. Things got that severe that dressing himself became impossible, as well as not being able to walk sometimes. Now enter the blossoming of Kieran’s resilience, ‘I realised no one was coming to rescue me’, he says, ‘I had to take control’.
Reaching out for hope
It is through the vital information and support that charities like Pain Concern offer that Kieran found a new sense of hope. He now fully accepted his pain but was determined his future wasn’t going to be defined by it.
Present day
Due to the regularity of his flare-ups, Kieran has decided to take his time preparing and training for this marathon. Sleep deprivation and swelling have made some training sessions impossible, but then there have been better days where he has managed two separate five mile runs. At the forefront of Kieran’s mind is that he is training with the condition rather than pretending it is not there.
You are not alone
Kieran says, ‘I’m running the Milton Keynes Marathon not just as a challenge, but as a statement, to myself, to my family, and to anyone who is at the beginning of their pain journey and feels terrified, lost, or alone. I want to show them that life can still move forward’.
Support Kieran Hinsley
We ask you to show your support for Kieran. He is going to show that dreams don’t have to die when you live with pain. If anything, they become even more rewarding to achieve.
