Over the years I’ve learned a lot—here are my tried-and-true tips to not only help other amputees, but to help give able-bodied runners a little insight into what amputees need to think of. This makes access to an active lifestyle a challenge during the developmental years. It also challenges adults who face amputations from being able to play sports or do something as simple as walk through a grocery store parking lot. Although most people may think that having a blade that doesn’t need trainers doesn’t actually impact which trainers you can wear but it actually does! Because of the height difference, it’s important to always use a trainer with a consistent height. This means that my trail, speed and long-distance shoes all have the same step height - anything different and i’m completely thrown off! You can chain slide jumps together (which only works on flat surfaces up to very slight slopes) to achieve significant on-foot speed: I’m sure a lot of us have heard about Oscar Pistorius’ court case (the running blade one, not the murderous one). There was a discussion as to whether having two running blades offered him a competitive advantage over able-bodied runners. Now although the rules only really matter with high-level competitions, there are strict rules within running blades. A competitor must not be seen to have a running blade which shows an “unrealistic enhancement of stride length". This only really counts when an athlete has two running blades because the length of both legs can be increased, giving an individual an advantageous stride length. Because of this, athletes are only allowed prosthetic limbs or feet that add a 3.5% margin to their estimated height.

That’s what drew Southard to the nonprofit. He was first introduced to ABR when he worked at a vascular surgery group that performed amputations in Nashville. Then, he did a Ragnar Relay with Fann and a few other amputees and became sold on the program. This seems to bring up "walking" speed to almost 20m/s on level surface, or even higher boost on downhill slope. For uphill slope, this only works up to a small incline (comparable to an 8x1 ramp). You can use it to cut corners or even go reverse if performed correctly. For additional speed you can perform a slide jump atop a forward moving conveyor belt (preferably Mk.5). Join Runner’s World+ today for exclusive access to training advice, nutrition tips, and the latest news! The Basics of a Prosthetic Leg To make things a bit more interesting, let’s throw in a prosthetic leg. Now you need to think of a whole bunch of other things to keep you going, and unfortunately there isn’t a lot of information available for amputee runners. I’m sure if there was a definitive answer to this question, other blades wouldn’t be on the market. But how do you know which blade is best for you is a different question. Prosthetists (the people who make the legs) are always the best to go to first. They are likely to know you individually and what you are capable of (or at least they have an idea). Some centres will have better relationships with prosthetics companies so choices could be limited with a certain organisation - there’s nothing stopping you from ‘shopping around’. Most centres will give you the opportunity to try a specific running blade for a few weeks to see if it suits your running style. If you aren’t keen on it, you probably won’t be motivated to go out running on it so try some more!

Running Blades - The Facts

Blade Runners cap the maximum fall damage at 96 health points or 9.6 health segments. Without the Blade Runners, the fall damage is capped at 97 instead. Once accepted, you are asked to come into Nashville for about a week to be fitted and test out what you might want to do with your prosthesis. Also, thanks to partnerships with a Nike store that closed and donated the shoes to ABR, and the local Fleet Feet store, recipients also receive a single shoe without having to pay for both—a single-leg amputee only needs one.

Run straight ahead → perform a crouch-jump → at the last moment before hitting the ground while still in the air crouch again to activate sliding on landing and immediately jump again. I use this as my walking foot. You could also use this as a running foot if you wanted to. I use this foot to power hike, which is part of my training for ultramarathons. The group was created in 2011 by two guys who are now specialists with prosthetics: Aaron Fitzsimmons and Ryan Fann, a single-leg amputee who grew up with a running blade. Without the assistance and support from others who helped him and others competing with running blades, they believe life would’ve been drastically different. Other options to try is to rub your stump full of heavy-duty antiperspirant in the evening before you go to bed. I’ve tried this, and it helped with the sweating, but the deodorant irritated my skin. I know some amputees who have had Botox injections into their stump as well. How Do You Handle Rubbing, Chafing, and Blisters?

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A blade, often made of carbon fibre, should last quite a while. I have run about 5,000 miles now and I am on my second running blade. Having said that, I normally run about 600+ miles a year through knee-high mud, through water obstacles and while climbing walls and cargo nets - my blade gets quite a beating! Now if you try and imagine running on a trail, without being able to bend your ankle or twist your foot - that’s what running with a blade is like on uneven terrain. With my blade, because of the heel, I am actually okay with uneven terrain but I know lots of amputee runners don’t have the same luxury.