Two weeks and 1 day prior to the New Las Vegas Marathon I was visiting my brothers in New York. I went out for my last taper long run prior to the marathon. It was a 12 miler and I was going to meet my brother Fred for the last 4 miles. It was 35 degrees, a hilly course that in part ran along Long Island Sound. Should be a nice run. I know exactly where and when I felt the first sensation of pain in my right foot. It wasn’t bad, just a sharp pain that subsided a little as I ran but never went away. I stopped my run early, at 7.5 miles. I had the same pain the next day but didn’t think to much of it. I thought it was one of those temporary little annoying injuries that goes away.

Over the next week and a half I reduced my miles to 1 mile a day trying to let my foot heal. I went to a Podiatrist on Wednesday prior to the marathon. He diagnosed it as a neuroma, a fatty tumor like that grows on the nerve between the bones in your foot (metatarsal). He gave me a cortisone shot which usually takes 3 or 4 days to take affect. I left for Vegas Friday morning optimistically thinking I should be able to run the marathon. I continued running just a mile a day at a 10 minute pace. Still had some pain but if the pain doesn’t increase I should be able to run a 4-hour marathon. Based on some previous races (15K and a half marathon) I was projecting to run Las Vegas in the 3:30’s (sub 3:40).

Marathon morning and we are at the starting line with about 12,000 other marathoners. This is the inaugural start of the New Las Vegas Marathon. First time the marathon will run down the Strip. I am there with Sarah Guttery, who I was hoping I could run with since she planned to slow down due to a bad case of Plantar Feciitis and Donna Neill who was behind us. Good weather, a little cold, may be in the upper 30’s. The marathon starts and there are fire works over head along the Strip. With the lights from the strip and the fire works it was a beautiful start. However, it takes us about four minutes to get to the start line itself. Not a problem, it is a chip system and I needed the walk to loose up

Mile one, I’m OK. I am able to run behind Sarah and just a little pain. Mile 1.5 and the pain is a little worse so I start to slow down and lost sight of Sarah. Mile 2, 22 minute gun time and I start having doubts whether I can complete the marathon. At Mile 3 I know there is no way I can run another 23 miles. I stop and walk to see if the pain subsides. No, it doesn’t. I try and run a little more and the pain is just to much. I stop, turn around and start my walk back to the start/finish line at Mandalay Bay. Emotionally I am in as bad a shape as my foot is painful. My plan to run the marathon wont happen. I continue my walk and since I still have my GPS running I note it has taken me 10 minutes to walk a tenth of a mile. No first aid ‘tents’ this early in the marathon, so I walk another quarter of a mile and ask a police officer who is controlling one of the intersections to see if he can get me some help. To make a long story short. I finally get a ride to within a half mile of the finish line. A very slow walk gets me to the medical tent 2 hours after the start of the marathon. The orthopedic surgeon there tells me he thinks I have a stress fracture. He wanted me to go to the hospital in Las Vegas but I wanted to see Sarah and Donna finish and didn’t think there would be much the doctors could do for me other then confirm the stress fracture. Most of the elite runners are now in the medical tent with me. I feel a little self conscious sitting there with ice on my foot after running just 3 miles. Back home it is confirmed, I do have a stress fracture and no running for at least 4 weeks.

I saw Sarah make the final turn and run the last 150 yards and cross the finish line in 3:56:45. Donna had a great time also, finishing a little faster then she thought she would, 4:48:56 chip time.

Still 64 marathons completed with 6 states and Washington DC completed on the second go around of all 50 states and WDC. Next stop, the The Lost Dutchman Marathon February 19.

Rest if you must,
just don’t quit,

Marty