This old chestnut is often parroted by run-phobics – “Running? Nah, mate. Effs your knees right up!” While it’s true that there are less knee-straining activities than repeatedly pounding your legs down onto pavement, no link has ever been found between running and knee osteoarthritis – that is, the irreversible wearing-away of knee cartilage.

As running myths go, this is the one we hear the most.

In fact, a study by Stanford University found that veteran runners’ knees were in no worse shape than those of similarly aged people who’d never been runners, while a study undertaken by the John Hopkins School of Medicine stated that “long-distance running might even have a protective effect against joint degeneration.”

So nerr.