Planning for Race Day
Race day preparations for amputees involve much more than energy gels and long runs.
In particular, Haslet-Davis has to worry about the wear and tear of the rubber sleeve that holds the leg in place, which is compounded by the pounding and friction from running. She expects to have to replace her sleeve five or six times throughout the race, so she has pit stops planned along the way.
Her training has also focused on little things runners take for granted, like running on different surfaces and passing people. She'll have help from her four-person support team (none of them amputees) she plans to run with, but there will still be some challenges.
"I have been able to run on curbs as well as on cobble stones," she says. "With 30,000 people on the course, you have to make sure you can run in a crowd and dart around people with the blade. It's like being a kid and learning how to walk again."
Training has been not only physically demanding, but also emotionally exhausting.
"Absolutely, I get discouraged," she says. "I see people fly by me and I think, 'Gosh, those two legs.'"
Her training runs are up to 15 miles at a pace of roughly 14 minutes per mile. But maintaining form and strength is more important than distance and time, she says.
"I'm more concerned with making sure my pace is steady," she says. "When my pace is steady that means my gait is steady, and then that means my muscles last longer."
Running for Others
For Haslet-Davis, the marathon is about both accomplishing a personal goal and shedding light on the struggles of many amputees. She and her team are running to support the Limbs for Life Foundation, a nonprofit that provides prosthetic limbs to amputees in need.
"When I was in the hospital room, I kept thinking, 'When am I getting a leg? When am I getting a leg?'" she recalls. "Not everyone does get a leg. For a lot of people it's, 'Can I afford this? Can my family afford this?'"
According to Haslet-Davis, many insurance companies will only cover a portion of the cost of a basic prosthetic limb, and insurance plans typically don't cover special legs for running or showering.
Prosthetic legs can cost tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the type. And that doesn't include expenses for maintenance, as amputee runners need adjustments to their blades as their muscles change shape.
In addition to increasing awareness about the many challenges amputees face, Haslet-Davis hopes people watching her run will be inspired to step outside their own comfort zones and try something new.
"I hope that people can have a different perspective on what they can do in their lives," she says. "Me putting on that blade and trying to run, I knew I might not be able to do it, but I can. And I'm happy I tried."
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