Joe to broadcast his London Marathon run live with 360° camera

​Joe Ramsden, 33, from Woodhall Spa, was left unable to walk, see, and had to re-learn how to use his whole left arm after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Two years ago – coincidentally, on the exact date that this year’s Marathon takes place – Joe was admitted to hospital for the first of many times, unable to walk or see, and uncontrollably vomiting at every attempt to open his eyes, leaving his doctors stumped.

This was the first of four MS relapses he would suffer and he was in and out of hospital all over the country over the next three months, each one impacting his body and brain with more severity each time, and losing the feeling and full use of his left arm and hand in the last one, after which he was told it was not guaranteed that he would ever get the use of his arm back.

Thankfully, thanks to new medication and rehab on his arm, he made a full recovery.

Thanks to the extensive research into MS and the support network around him, Joe has set himself the goal of doing all he could to raise money and awareness for people who will find themselves in a similar situation to him.

Running a marathon is commonly known as one of the hardest things someone can put their body and mind through.

Joe, who has a background in film and advertising, came up with a concept to run the London Marathon on Sunday (April 21) and stream his whole experience live so that people at home could watch exactly what he goes through every step of the way.

Joe’s plan will also include something that has never been achieved before – the race will be broadcast live online using a 360° camera using a specially made running rig so that viewers at home can control the view themselves and witness what it is like to be right in the middle of the race.

Joe said: “This is groundbreaking as it offers a chance for physically unable bodies to witness running the world’s greatest marathon through the eyes of a participant and soak up the unspeakable atmosphere that could only be experienced before by actually running the race.

“I am so lucky to have the support from a large amount of people for the camera set up, the streaming service and even the clothing I will wear on the day.

"In a world of social media, I am one of the little guys, but I am determined to show that the little guys can still make a hell of a lot of difference.”

During his training, Joe, under the online alias of @readysteady_joe, has run over 500km, losing more than 6kg in the process and so far, has raised more than £3,000 for his chosen charities – Multiple Sclerosis Society and Mind, the mental health charity.

He said that, so far, his training has been going well with medication keeping his condition stable.

"MS benefits hugely from looking after yourself – lots of rest, no stress, eat well, drink lots of water and stay strong, all the things you have to do in order to complete a marathon,” Joe said, "So overall the training has almost felt like a type of medication for me especially during all of the health scares.

"Training and exercise are my stress relief 100 percent, it's kept me calm, focused and with a smile on my face.”

You can follow Joe’s live stream of the London Marathon via his Youtube channel on Sunday at https://www.youtube.com/@ReadySteady_Joe/streams

You can also make a donation to Joe’s challenge at https://www.justgiving.com/team/ReadySteadiJoe