Over the next few months we will feature a special series of articles on the Foot Issues in Endurance Athletes by BMA's own orthotist and prosthetist: Chelsea Lutrall. 

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Register for Rock2Rock today before it's too late!  If you're worried about the orienteering element in adventure races, we will be conducting an optional, short orienteering lecture after the pre-race meeting.  Additionally, BMA staff will be glad to help during the race for those new to orienteering.

Kick start your adrenaline reserves from the winter hibernation with the Rock2Rock adventure race in Colorado on April 23rd! Mountain bike, trek, and orienteer to ropes challenges including rappelling, traversing, or zip lining and conquer special challenges along this adventure-filled 6-9 hour course. Grab your teammates or brave it solo; we have a number of categories to accommodate any size group.

Beginners through seasoned adventure racers can all enjoy! The race will go through some of the area's nicest parks and trails from Monument to Colorado Springs. Winners of each division can look forward to a variety of exciting prizes, plus all racers will score a t-shirt and awesome swag... and of course some adrenaline induced memories! Share the excitement at our post race party with included food, beer, and a gear-filled prize raffle (thanks to our generous sponsors!).

Registration for Rock2Rock is open, cost is only $59/racer early registration until April 7th. $69/racer from April 8th to April 20th.

Got Adventure...? Get some!
More information about Rock2Rock AR
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As an orthotist, I see a lot of folks with foot problems.  Some can be helped with foot orthoses (FOs), and some can’t.  However, I also see tons of people spending $300-$400 on custom foot orthoses that may or may not help their condition.  And, no, most insurances do not help with costs of foot orthoses. 

With cars, shoes, clothes--almost everything, you get to test drive before you shell out the cash.  But with custom FOs, you have to pay and trust that you’re in the 50% of people who can be helped by custom FOs. 

Endurance athletes are interesting.  If, we put in as much daily mileage as the average American, we’d likely have very healthy feet.  But because of the repetition and duration of endurance sports, subtle problems can surface, magnify, and wreak havoc on our training and racing.

I’m of a different camp than most.  I believe, first, that many of these conditions prescribed custom FOs can be helped by non-custom, over-the-counter FOs if used correctly.  And second, that many patients (excluding diabetics and folks with true foot deformity), should first pursue cheaper, non-custom options to see if they see marked improvement in their condition.  Then, once you know your feet can be helped by FOs, you can either stay with the over-the-counter option, or invest in the custom, slightly more durable FOs. 

In my opinion, the SOLE FOs are some of the best over-the-counter options on the market today.  They are heat-moldable to accommodate the needs of the wearer.  They are affordable relative to custom FOs --usually around $45.  And, they are still flexible enough to allow healthy amounts of pronation, which is necessary for runners and endurance athletes to avoid stress fractures and unnecessary joint trauma.  What’s more, SOLE stands behind their product, and has a money-back guarantee if you don’t see results within 90 days. 

Problem 1: Over-pronation
Over-pronation (collapsing arch) in the otherwise healthy foot, is caused by ligaments and muscles that aren’t functioning to hold that arch in place during standing, walking, or running.  Contrary to popular belief, over-pronation can occur in feet with a naturally low arch and in people with a naturally high arch. The only stipulation is whether your ligaments and muscles support the arch in its naturally occurring shape while in use or not. 

In endurance athletes, over pronation often gets worse as muscles fatigue during a long race.  This can lead to (1) a painful midfoot because ligaments are getting stretched out as the muscles do less and less of the support work.  (2) Ankle pain because the ankles soon follow the arch by also rolling inward, thus potentially straining the posterior tibial tendon, and/or stretching ankle ligaments.  (3) Painful knee issues caused by the mal-alignment of the foot and ankle, causing the knee to become mal-aligned, resulting in patellar tracking issues such as chondromalacia, or possible IT band issues, and more.  As one thing starts to “misfire” it can lead to a chain reaction of compensation and further pain and injury – especially in an endurance athlete.

Possible Cheap Solution to Over-pronation: 
Purchase SOLE FOs that fit your entire arch length – not your shoe size (this may mean buying a longer size than your shoe size and trimming them to fit your shoe).  Then, heat-mold them according to the package instructions, slide them into your shoe, put your feet in your shoes while sitting until they cool.  This will mold the FOs to your natural arch height and still allow healthy amounts of pronation during walking and running without forcing more of an arch than you need while still providing resistance to total arch collapse. 

Future Newsletter Articles:
Problem 2:  Plantar Fasciitis
Problem 3: High Pressure Points Resultant of High Arches
Problem 4: Chronic Forefoot Striker vs. Heel Striker

Beware of Something Under the Surface
Now, these are problems I often see in athletes, but if you’re having foot pain, I definitely do recommend seeing a doctor first to get a diagnosis using an XRay or MRI to ensure that nothing else more complicated is going on under the surface.  But if your problem fits into one of these categories, and you’re not into the idea of possibly being out of $400 if it doesn’t work for you, give these ideas a try and see if they work for you.  Good luck!  And I hope you get to enjoy a foot-pain-free race season! 

• March 3rd, 6:30PM: REI clinic on 'Adventure Racing in the Front Range and Navigation Clinic'
  • This clinic will introduce you to AR, the gear needed, special racing considerations in the Front Range and a short Navigation Clinic to prepare first-timers for this element.
• March 11th, 6PM: Clinic at Carmichael Training Systems on 'Adventure Racing in the Front Range and Navigation Clinic'
  • This clinic is similar to the REI clinic except that there is a greater Navigation Clinic element.  We intent this to be a full nav clinic including map reading, bearings, UTM plotting all including pictures of actual terrain to aid in map understanding.
• Lastly, don't forget there will be a short navigation clinic after the pre-race meeting of the Rock2Rock Adventure Race