Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we are talking with Kate Stopa, about calcaneal stress fractures, running the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim, giving up a kidney.
In this episode of the Doc On The Run Podcast we have a real treat for you. Kate is someone I met through the Grand Canyon R2R2R Run Group and she has an amazing story!
If you are not familiar with what running the Grand Canyon entails, you start at one side, run all the way from the rim of the Grand Canyon Down treacherous trails all the way to the bottom, then run across the bottom of the canyon and up the other side. And of course, because it was so fun, you turn around and run back. Teach time you run from the top of the rim all the way to the bottom, or back up you encounter about almost a mile of vertical elevation change. Depending upon you do it, it could be anywhere from 44 to 50 miles in one go.
Kate has agreed to come on the show today to talk about the Grand Canyon R2R2R. More specifically she is here to talk about running it with a calcaneal stress fracture!
Dr. Segler:
Kate, welcome to the show!
Kate Stopa:
(listen to the audio to hear Kate’s answer)
Dr. Segler:
How did you first hear about the Grand Canyon R2R2R run, and what made you decide to do it?
Kate Stopa:
(listen to the audio to hear Kate’s answer)
Dr. Segler:
How much training do you think the average runner has to put in to successfully complete the Grand Canyon R2R2R?
Kate Stopa:
(listen to the audio to hear Kate’s answer)
Dr. Segler:
How much training had you been doing when you got your calcaneal stress fracture?
Kate Stopa:
(listen to the audio to hear Kate’s answer)
Dr. Segler:
When you first started having symptoms of a stress fracture, what do you remember, what did it feel like?
Kate Stopa:
(listen to the audio to hear Kate’s answer)
Dr. Segler:
Did you know is a stress fracture right away or did you dismiss it as plantar fasciitis, a heel bone bruise, or some other less ominous condition?
Kate Stopa:
(listen to the audio to hear Kate’s answer)
Dr. Segler:
When you think back about your training leading up to the stress fracture, if you could go back in time, do you think there’s any one thing you could have changed to prevent it from developing into a real calcaneal stress fracture?
Kate Stopa:
(listen to the audio to hear Kate’s answer)
Dr. Segler:
I saw a picture of you wearing a fracture walking boot, standing with a group of runners at the edge of the Grand Canyon. I’m going to stop right there just let you explain…
Kate Stopa:
(listen to the audio to hear Kate’s answer)
Dr. Segler:
I know you’ve taken a little bit of a break from crazy adventures over the last couple of years. I’ve also seen a bunch of social media posts where you mention organ donation. Tell us how those things go together…
Kate Stopa:
(listen to the audio to hear Kate’s answer)
Dr. Segler:
When I read your story about on the PT Runner blog about running the Grand Canyon with a calcaneal stress fracture there was one quote in particular that particularly struck me,
…the biggest thing that I’ve learned is that you can’t plan for anything in life; just when you think you have things figured out, life takes a turn. – CHATAL…PT RUNNER .
Tell us about how that sentiment shapes your approach to life today.
Kate Stopa:
(listen to the audio to hear Kate’s answer)
Dr. Segler:
What other adventures are on your list of dreams right now?
Kate Stopa:
(listen to the audio to hear Kate’s answer)
Dr. Segler:
Right now there is someone listening who has a stress fracture in her foot. If she is thinking about doing some big event that has truly been a lifelong goal, what advice would you offer her?
Kate Stopa:
(listen to the audio to hear Kate’s answer)
Blog article:
YOU CAN’T DNF THE GRAND CANYON
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