For marathoners, crossing the finish line comes with battle scars — sore muscles, sunburn, sore nipples, and the impressive yet painful bruised toenails. Even though their feet are protected by socks and cushioned sneaks, the repetitive banging against the front of a runner's shoe causes bleeding under the nails, and can sometimes cause nails to just fall off. When these damaged nails do grow back, they don't adhere as well to the skin, becoming an ongoing problem for serial marathoners. To see a photo of what I am talking about visit the RuningSugar group.
To solve this tender problem, about five percent of hardcore long-distance runners have their toenails surgically removed by a podiatrist. If the procedure sounds agonizing to you, it's actually much worse than you imagine. Either acid is poured over the nail bed to melt the nail, or the nail is pulled off the toe. Yikes! For those interested, Dr. Lisa Bliss, winner of the 2007 Badwater Ultramarathon, a 135-mile race in Death Valley, documented her surgery so runners would know what to expect. Warning — it's not for those who faint easily at the sight of blood or needles.
To see what podiatrists have to say about this procedure, just keep reading.
Sports podiatrist Dr. Robert M. Conenello says, "A lot of them [runners] look at their toenails as useless appendages, remnants of claws from evolutionary times long ago. I’ve heard them say, 'Toenails are dead weight.'" One runner explained he used to have to stop mid-run and poke a hole in his throbbing toenail to relieve the pressure, but after having them all removed, toenails are "one less thing to have to deal with." Some runners are embarrassed to show off their bald toes, while others feel it is proof of the miles they've logged, and display it proudly with a Toenails Are For Sissies t-shirt.
Well, that's just another thing that separates me from an ultra-marathoner. Don't get me wrong, I love to run, but I also love a good pedicure.
Hatbox
WOW! I knew people lost toenails but this is crazy. I can understand why they would do it, but I also like being in flip flops or open toed shoes when I'm not running.
1I like running but I like having nice-looking feet more.
2Yep, I knew I was a real runner when my toenails started turning funny colors then slowly peeling away. But it was only two of them and they did grow back. But I don't think I would get them permanently removed that's crazy!
3i've only run one half marathon and a few 5ks and my toenail permanently splits down the middle after growing out of the skin. so annoying! and it hurts like crazy. couldn't imagine having it separated forever though.
4hell no!i would seriously find another form exercise before removing my toenails. i check the links and i am officially horrified.
5Those pictures are awesome! I admire that dedication!
6Not only did I just have to get a toenail removed last week (not permanently though ) I own that shirt! I laughed out loud when I saw this posting. I can't imagine getting rid of my toenail forever but this is the second time I have lost this one and the idea of not having to go through this for every race is appealing.
7I've run four marathons and several triathlons, and my toes look fine. (they discuss this in Born to Run, too)
8Hells to the NO WAY.... I've started training for my first triathlon and I certainly did not sign up to have my toenails removed. I'll skip the marathons then...
9bleached, you don't need to skip marathons because of your toenails. Like I said, I've run four marathons and have pretty (pedicured
) feet.
10I think it's a bit drastic, but not a bad option if you are a serious runner that has issues with their toenails.
11Bleached, I agree with runningesq. I just ran my first marathon on Sunday and other than a few small blisters, I'm fine. My toenails were actually bruised more frequently back when I was just doing 5ks, because I hadn't had my shoes professionally fitted at a running store, so they were too small.
12I've also never lost a toenail. I've run 3000 miles a year for like 5 years now. I've had blood under my toenail, and bled through shoes - but these are not mutually exclusive things.
13wow. that looks just plain horrific.
14Uhhh.... i love running but WTF. Surgically removing a part of your body seems like it crosses the line into disordered behavior. I can't believe that people are responding positively to this.
15I have lost my big toe MANY times but not from running. From playing field hockey.. getting stepped on or slammed with a ball! It's pretty gross and takes 10 years to grow back
16My mom had to have one of her toenails removed because of an ingrown nail problem and now her toe just looks weird. I used to get really horrible bruised nails when I was running a lot and I just dealt with them. I never thought about removing the nail...when my mom had it done, she was in serious pain for a while. And when I got married, she had to get a FAKE toenail put on at the salon so she could wear the sandals and look ok. Sorry, I'll pass!
17Ew ew ew. I admire marathoners and hard core runners, but that's something that I couldn't do. I'm squirming in my seat and curling my toes just thinking about it.
18Is there some kind of doodad that can protect your toes so this isn't a problem?
19Holy moly, Fit! Those surgery pics were.... wow. No words. Like a train wreck, I couldn't stop looking at them!
20for the love of god people! you CAN RUN MARATHONS AND KEEP YOUR TOENAILS! I've run 4 and I have lovely manicured pink toes.
If your shoes fit you will be fine.
21Dang, that is commitment. I lost a toenail after one marathon and it was weird. It was also new to me. Most of my friends asked if it was my first. Apparently a good deal of my soccer teammates had lost toenails from getting stepped on by other peoples' cleats.
22Hey runningesq, that's great that you haven't had problems with losing toenails! Not everyone is as fortunate as you. I've done several races (5,10,15 k, and half marathon) and have unfortunately lost nails on my second toe. Each time I buy new shoes, I am fitted by a professional. I just have long 2nd toes and the loss is pretty inevitable. No biggie though. I don't care. Bruised, lost toenails are just par for the course.
23Chole - I got a black toe nail from NWM last Sunday due to lots of downhill. I used to get a black toe nail on the same toe over and over again until I realize that I actually bought the wrong size of running shoes. I guess my feet expand when I run and I did not account for that when I bought my running shoes. Now that I get the proper size, I hardly get black toe nail on my normal routine (mostly flat).
24another option I am not seeing is that there are various raise to tie your shoes, including a way to raise your toe box to prevent the rubbing. that is why I only lost my big toenail once. once is all it took for me to figure out how to properly lace my shoes for my feet.
25I'm dedicated to being in great shape but these people are way above my limit.
26Sooo grosss!
27I just had this "surgery" last week, but not because I'm a runner. I had a damaged nail bed on my big toe so the nail would always ingrow and hurt like crazy when I did very much walking or running. The "surgery" was absolutely nothing. They put a few shots in my toe to deaden it, these hurt way less than typical shots for a cavity. Then they cut the toenail out, like in the pictures, then some acid to kill the root. They told me it might hurt the next few days when I soak it in epsom salt water but it hasn't. So far zero pain.
On the other hand I have had nails removed in the emergency room before, and even did it myself a couple of times. They deadened it in the emergency room, but instead of neatly cutting it out like the podiatrist, they ripped it out with pliers. They did give me some Tylenol 3's to take the next few days, and I needed them.
I'm amazed at all the I wouldn't do that comments. If you ever felt what an ingrown toenail feels like, and then had that feeling a few weeks a year for a few years, you might change your mind.
28I play soccer. Inevitably, my big toenails get cleated and for last 3-4 years, I can pretty much count on losing one or both big toenails once a season (every 6 months). After they get bruised, they throb and it's hard to sleep at night...until they turn black and die. Then it's relief and pain-free playing for 3-4 months after they fall off. But then it's pain beyond pain for 2-4 weeks while the toenails grow back through living flesh which has taken over "their space" while they've "been gone". Being in that mode now, I can understand exactly why people get tired of the 2-4 weeks of serious pain every 6-12 months if they're active runners, soccer players, whatever, and not blessed by healthy (or lucky unstepped on) toenails that other sportspeople seem to enjoy. Make the pain stop! I do understand and when the pain peaks I'm fully willing to give up sandals to make the pain stop.
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