You often hear about the physical sacrifices that athletes make for their sports. But one you don’t often hear about is pulling out all your toenails. Still, that’s exactly what ultra runner Marshall Ulrich did 17 years ago, and to this day, while he wouldn’t recommend it to anyone else, he doesn’t regret his decision.
Ultra runner Marshall Ulrich
Ultra running is the ultimate test of strength and endurance in the sport of running. At the age of 58, Ulrich ran 3,063 miles in a total of 52-and-a-half days. He is also the man with no toenails. While one would think that a man who could run 50 to 100 miles at a stretch would be famous on that merit alone, according to Ulrich, as many people know him for his absence of toenails as for anything else.

The Toenail Issue
According to podiatrists, battered and bruised toenails are one of the major issues facing ultra runners today, far more pressing than muscle injuries. There can be bruising from the toenail repeatedly hitting the running shoe, or blood can pool under the toenail, or an infection can develop there. However, removing toenails is not a common solution. Typically, there are special shoes, different running techniques, even a fluid-draining needle that can resolve toenail problems. Even runners who decide removal is their only recourse usually only remove the nails that are giving them problems, not the whole set.

Ulrich’s Toenails
Ulrich, a competitive ultra runner for many years, was constantly having problems with his toenails. They were continually falling out and were making holes in his sneakers. Finally, he had had enough, and went to a podiatrist to have them professionally removed. The process, which involves destroying the nail plate and pulling out the nail, can be uncomfortable and somewhat painful. Ulrich experienced bleeding for about a month and was not completely healed for about six months, but there are generally no long-term negative effects to this procedure.

Looking back, Ulrich, while recognizing that this route is not for everyone, is happy with his decision and its effect on his ability to run.