Foot Surgery Impairs Marathon World Record Holder

Paula Radcliffe, winner of the 2007 New York City Marathon, photographed at mile 14. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Paula Radcliffe realizes she may not be able to continue her elite running career as she recovers from complicated foot surgery. The marathoner had to withdraw her position in the 2012 Olympics because "Radcliffe had so much cartilage damage in her left foot that her bones were rubbing against each other..."

This was Radcliffe's dream to make an appearance in her home country. "In August, she had three operations on her foot, including a bone graft to correct a stress fracture. She’s still not back to running, though she hopes to do light sessions before Christmas."

Radcliffe has such a fascinating career, that unfortunately might be behind her:  She's won the London Marathon three times, the New York City Marathon three times and even the Chicago Marathon once.

Olympic Feet

With the winter Olympics going on right now, it makes me think of all the different sports we are able to participate in. Sports that ask us to run, jump, kick, twist, turn, and glide. Sports that ask for speed and agility that, without the versatility of our feet, would not be possible or at least would look quite a bit different!

The 26 bones and 33 joints in each foot allow us to effortlessly become mobile in many different ways. When I see someone skate their heart out down the length of the ice and stop on a dime, my breath is taken away. Though it may seem like the boot is doing the work, anyone who has ice skated before and had sore feet the next day will tell you otherwise. The complexity of the foot is amazing. And even more amazing than that are the mechanics that make a human foot work properly, the podiatrist.

Though feet are not visible during the winter Olympics, they are still a very important part of the games. A ski or a skate is merely an extension of the foot. Bobsledding wouldn’t be possible without the help of our feet mustering up enough momentum to make the sled go. Even changing the balance and placement of your feet in curling can change your game.

During the 2010 winter Olympics root for team feet! And keep in mind all the amazing things your feet do for you everyday.

Though we are all about feet, we want to recognize those who haven’t given up the games they love because their mode of movement is different than the movement of the original game. We want to recognize how these sports have been modified to work for all kinds of people. For more information about wheelchair and ambulatory sports check out http://www.wsusa.org/.