By Chris Ballou

21 Hints on Keeping Your Feet Happy While Racing (if that's possible!)

Below is a list of preventative measures to keep you from failing to finishing a race due to foot problems. Try some of them out and see what works best for you.

1. Prior to any race, make sure you have properly broken in the shoe or shoes you intend on wearing. You might think the goes without saying, but the next time your getting ready to start a race look around and see who's wearing brand new shoes.



2. While training, be sure to trek or run a minimum of seventy five percent of your expected trekking distance for your race. Don't forget to carry all your race gear and wear your race shoes. Try to find similar terrain in your area that matches the race course.



3. For expedition races, you might want to consider having a second and third pair of properly broken in shoes slightly wider or one half size larger. Your feet tend to swell after multiple days of running and trekking. A slightly bigger or wider pair of shoes will fit just fine on day six or seven.



4. Have a back up to a back up. Your shoes might not make it the whole race. I had a pair of Nike ACG's literally fall apart on day eight of a ten-day race, the entire sole fell off on a fifteen mile run on paved road. Good thing the paddle leg was next!



5. While trail running and trekking during training sessions, constantly monitor your feet and locate your problem areas. Most likely, these areas will start to fail first during competition.



6. Trim your toenails before competition.



7. Apply tape to problem areas before your have problems.



8. Shave the hair off your feet before a long race. Cover all problem areas with sticky duct tape. You can safely leave on the tape for two or three days as long as your feet stay dry. Make sure you don't put the tape on too tight. If you're wondering why you should shave your feet, you'll know when it's time to remove the tape.



9. To make sticky duct tape, leave a roll out in the sun for a day or two during the summer.



10. It's best to unwind the tape and wrap it around your LEKI poles or a pencil. This way you cut the weight of the whole roll and it's easily accessible during competition. You should take a minimum of ten feet with you. For the weight, you can't find anything better.



11. If your toe nails start to turn black and you feel a lot of pressure underneath, heat up a paperclip with your lighter until it's red-hot. Carefully push the straightened paperclip through the nail until the fluid comes out. Put Neosporin and a Band-Aid over the nail. Usually the nail will be good for the remainder of the race and fall off in a month or two.



12. Always wear synthetic wicking socks, remember, cotton kills.



13. At each rest stop, remove your shoes. Examine, powder, and massage your feet, then put on a fresh pair of socks.



14. Secure wet socks off your pack to dry. If in a cold climate, hang your socks under your shell next to your body to dry.



15. Rotate your socks at least four times a day.



16. Whenever possible, lie down and elevate your feet while resting.



17. The moment you feel a blister, take care of it. Take a sterilized needle and gently puncture it, drain all fluid and cover entire area with Neosporin and tape or a Band-Aid. The longer you wait, the worse it will become.



18. You should always carry a foot care kit. Items in a foot care kit include:
    • 1-Nail clippers w/ file
    • 2-Sewing needles
    • 1-Lighter
    • 1-Tube or numerous small packets of Neosporin
    • 10' of sticky duct tape
    • 1-Paperclip
    • 1-Iodine bottle
    • Band-Aids (numerous sizes/ shapes)
    • 1-Container of foot powder
    • 3-Pairs of synthetic wicking socks



19. You can try to chemically toughen the skin on your feet by using products designed for toughening dog paws. I have never used any of those products but I have seen a couple of teams that successfully used them prior to a big race.



20. You might want to consider carrying a pair of sport sandals to put on during water crossings or prolonged rafting. If your feet stay wet for a prolonged period of time you might develop Immersion foot.



21. During early morning trekking be careful of the dew on ground vegetation. Even traveling through as little as four inches of damp vegetation for and hour will totally soak your feet. To avoid this you could temporally cover the tops of your shoes with duct tape or plastic.

* The above is strictly the opinion of the author, whenever you are conducting medical treatment on yourself it is always best to consult a medical professional.

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