by Jess Evans
October 22, 2018
This post is not for medical advice… but for me to tell you my foot problems during adventure races. If you are queasy about feet, you may not want to read it. If you want to read about my past foot problems, this is the blog post for you. For some foot care advice, feel free to re-read Shawn’s Blisterologist post.
Prior to adventure racing, I was a runner. I would do 5Ks or 10Ks, and train by running on trails, roads, or wherever. Once I got into adventure racing, I noticed my feet more. Apparently running for a half hour to an hour does not traumatize my feet enough. The first problem I noticed with races as long as 12 hours, was my toes jamming into the front of my shoes especially on those steep downhills. I would get blisters under my toenails or the toenails would fall off. No big deal, it all healed.
The first time I had major foot pain was my first 30 hour race, which was the USARA National Championship at Cumberland Falls, KY in 2011. I noticed during the night that the bottom of my feet started hurting. By hour 26, my feet were killing me. I was hobbling along trying not to cry. My feet felt like all the skin on the bottom of the foot was gone. When we finally finished the race, and I was able to look at my feet, they were fine but just a bit wrinkly from the constant moisture. No clue why they hurt so bad.
Something similar happened during the 6 day Cowboy Tough race on our first big trek, which took us about 28 hours. At one point, I took off my shoes and walked in socks donated by my teammates. My feet felt so much better at that point. I could have walked bare foot for days if there were not so many sharp rocks.
During my early days of racing I did not change into bike shoes, but kept my same shoes on for the entire race. Now that I switch into biking shoes when we bike, my feet really enjoy the change of pace for a while. That gives them a rest from the running shoes. The other thing I did not do in the beginning was change into new dry socks. I think that is a big life saver for me too. Depending on when the paddling is, I try to get some dry socks on as soon as possible or by dawn in a 30 hour race. In longer races, I change socks about every 24 hours. I still have not entirely solved the riddle of my foot pain, but I am getting better at managing my feet during a long race. Trial and error is my strategy.
