Cory Foulk – Ironman and Ultraman, 12/21/05, Dr. Vijay Bose

Cory Foulk, Bose Hippy, Runs Marathon 3 months post op, then competes in multiple Ironman & Ultraman Triathlons
Hip Resurfacing with Dr. Bose, December 21, 2005

"100% I honestly feel stronger, faster and am fitter than I have been in over ten years."  Cory Foulk, April 5, 2009

Read Cory's Articles on Running 

Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that every patient is diffierent, this is an extremely in shape ahtlete that has done this pracitcially his whole life so I do NOT recommend that anyone do any of these things themselves, remember to always listen to your surgeons advice first and then listen to your body and also keep in mind that the inventor of the BHR device, Derek Mcminn does not recommend running or doing any heavy impact until at least one year post op.

UPDATE: 11 YEARS POST

In 2005 I was able to have my right hip resurfaced with a BHR from Smith and Nephew. Looking back on the past 11 years, I can say it has been quite a ride – literally!

I suffered a grievous injury to my right hip in a cycling accident in 1993. I had 5 stainless steel pins inserted into the femoral head to hold things in place and after an arduous recovery went about my life. That life included working full-time, fathering 3 children, studying for a doctorate, and competing at the world level in triathlons, ultra runs, bicycle races and blue water swims.

A few years later the joint began to die, AVN they said. So a team removed the pins in an effort to restore circulation to that joint. It was quite a messy process, but they succeeded. Again, I had a lengthy recovery period. However, I can say today that I never did fully recover, as the joint was finished. Pins or no pins, the joint was dying and that was the end of it. I was in my mid-thirties, and had been doing marathons for 20 years, and doing Ironman races for about 10 or 11 years at the time with a best in class finish of 2nd at the Ironman World Championships. I had set a U.S. triple marathon record, and had the ability to stage race very competitively at run distances up to 400K [250 miles] prior to the hip issues.

It became progressively harder to go fast; more and more pain was accompanied by less and less range of motion. As the years passed, I went from bone spurs and foreign bodies to bone on bone, and then the bone began to wear. Ultimately I had lost 25mm of leg length by the time I was able to get a BHR. I had it done in India because at the time it still had not been approved in the U.S. and I could not wait any longer. I was literally running out of leg bone to wear!

I had a good go of the BHR surgery, trained specifically for it before hand and began an immediate and serious PT protocol after. I was helped in developing this by folks from UC Davis Medical School, Doctor’s at Nike West in Eugene, Oregon, a very talented [blind] veterinarian massage therapist, my personal MD Claudia Chrisman, Ironman MD extraordinaire Frank Ferret, Pilates genius Dietrich Lawrence of Cherry Creek, Colorado. I had also had the benefit of having had to recover from two prior hip surgeries using more normal PT protocols, and knew better what was worthwhile and what was not.

Steve Miller from Smith and Nephew and the scientists on their Memphis campus helped in many ways as well as my recovery extended and I reached out to do world events. Doctor Vijay Bose was instrumental in not only the surgery, but also his “follow your body” advice, in place of stricter recovery limits. Derek McMinn gave voice to many dissenting opinions, some well taken, and I believe we both learned a lot more about the BHR’s capabilities along the way. Pat Campbell, PhD, at the UCLA Joint Replacement Institute studied my blood ion content before during and after events in years following, and was able to add to the science of MoM bearings in vivo.

I want to thank all of these people, their staffs and the many hundreds of others who have contributed to a very successful BHR recovery process. This would include race directors who allowed me to compete while the science was still being made, my support crews who put up with me, and all of the athletes with BHR’s whose shoulders I stood on. The very first on that list is Dr. Dru Dixon, ultra-athlete legend and BHR pioneer [Dru has bilateral BHr’s from long before they were introduced into the U.S. I want to say 2003ish]. Steven Arnett, former Pro Volleyball player and good friend, who had a BHR done as part of an experimental group at UCLA, also in 2003.

So – where to begin...

Today I am 57 years old; I am 6’ 0 ½” tall, 164 pounds. I have finished 56 Ironman triathlons, I have DNF’d one Ironman and been DQ’d from one. 16 of those Ironman finishes are on a BHR hip. The best showing with the BHR hip was 2nd overall at Ironman Revisited, which is the original event on the original course. That was 2 years post-op.

Ironman is a one day, 140 mile triathlon as follows:

2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run.

I have competed in 31 Ultraman Triathlons, 18 of those the World Championships. I have placed as high as 3rd overall on a BHR hip in the Canadian Ultraman Championships, I have placed as high as 11th over-all at the Ultraman World’s, that was 11 months post-op. I placed second in my division at Ultraman World’s in 2011, which was 6 years post-op. 18 of these competitions were with a BHR.

Ultraman is a 3 day, 320 mile triathlon staged as follows:

Stage One / Day One: Swim 6.2 miles open water; Bike 90 miles with at least 8000 feet of elevation gain.

Stage Two / Day Two: Bike 170 miles, With at least 8000 feet of elevation gain.

Stage Three / Day Three: Run 52.4 miles [double marathon].

Additionally, I have raced in the Texas 500, a 500 mile straight through bike race in Texas, the Race Around Ireland, a 1460 mile four day bicycle race around the island of Ireland, 7 blue water swims longer than 6.2 miles, and done significant training mileage [as you might expect] including riding a simulated Tour De France every July [about 2200 miles in 21 days] in spirit with Gary Kobat, trainer of the stars and BHR hippy.

Because I got a BHR, my life was returned to me in its entirety. I have been able to race bicycles in the Alps, dine on the Riviera, swim at the Cape of Good Hope, take my kids on safari or surfing or both, and do everything in between. Work is just – work. It once was something I had to mentally prepare for – sitting hurt so badly. Sitting all day? OMG. The worst. Today work is just work, friends and cohorts and a little time off your feet.

I don’t park in the very front isle at the grocery store today. I used to circle the parking lot looking, waiting, for that spot. It hurt so badly to walk from the truck into the store. Today I eat what I want. I used to decide it wasn’t worth it to walk all the way back to the bakery section for a loaf of bread. Hurt too much. I’d do without.

Today I take the elevator because I want to. Not because I have to. I don’t have trouble with weight gain, even though I can eat what I want now. Because I am so much more active without even realizing it.

I tie my shoes today. Tying shoes used to be a real drill. I’d get my foot propped against the wall and then sort of HEAVE toward it and try to grab the lace ends. Heh. By the time the right side was tied I needed to change my shirt, I was soaked with sweat. Now, I just cross my leg onto my thigh and tie it like everyone else does. Life is grand!

It is funny our expectations. I remember not being able to touch my nose to my knee. So I called Vijay, and said hey, what gives? I thought I would get all the range back? He said okay, can you touch your nose to the other knee? ?? So I tried and – no! I couldn’t. He had restored me to exactly where I was, no more, no less : )

I can run a 440 in under a minute. That took about 4-5 years to get back post-op. That is not just because of the op, but because I was so detrained from a decade of marginal motion pre-op. But it has all come back. I can run a sub-5 minute mile pace today for several miles, and am working on a 5K WR attempt in this division. I can do it I know. The WR is 15:29, and I have run 15:34 with this BHR. So it is possible – only 6 seconds!

Over the years so many people have written to me. Many are surprised when I suggest they get a THR instead of a BHR. It is simple to me. The time under anesthesia is significantly different for the two procedures. If you are not truly going to use a BHR to its full potential, then why risk dementia or other complications from the time spent under? Most MoM total hips are fabulous for anything anyone wants to do. You cannot do Ironman events year after year on one. But most people don’t do Ironman events year after year.

I do recommend that, no matter what, you have surgery now, do not wait. The sooner you have it, the sooner you will realize how compromised your life had become. Also, the younger we are, the better the result. A year or two at my age is a big difference in likely outcomes and time to recover.

I want to hear from you, what your questions are, what your desires are. What would the hippies like to know about me, about what I did to recover, to pre-train, today what do I do?

Send questions via the hippie email, and I will do a monthly or weekly column.

Thanks,
Cory Foulk

Update December 29, 2014
Cory makes top ten story of 2014 in MundoTri Magazine, the World's largest triathlon magazine.

Read this article in MundoTri

April 2011 Read this inspiring article in Slowtwitch

Update April 30, 2012

Cory Foulk: "This is ultraman world's 2011, the last of november 1st of december. i placed second in the world in my division, and had what had to be one of the best races i have ever had in my life. very difficult conditions, very impressive effort to reel in dan squiller, who is now the division world champion. failed in that but i tell you he had a great race going, and i was honored to have been out there trying to reel him in. i will see if i can find it somewhere.

i have started 6 ultraman worlds, 1 reverse ultraman [same distances opposite order - run/bike/swim, in june of 2011], 2 ultraman canadian championships on this BHR. i dropped from the world's in 2009 with a broken knee at mile 170 of the bike. i placed third overall in the canadian championships in 2007 on a BHR.

i have competed in 13 ironman distance events, and one quinta-iron [5 ironman triathlons on five consecutive days], including 5 ironman world championships, on this BHR. many other cycling races up to 500 miles, foot races on and off-road up to and over 100 miles in length on this BHR. several blue water marathon swims.

I have now been invited to compete in more Ultraman World Championships than any man or woman in history. 

Cory"

Another detailing his last UM with photos below

"My UMH this year, the 2012 World Championships, was very, very cool. My division really just came down to the top three invitees. Dan Squiller, a talented all around guy from San Diego and Michael Rouse, a talented runner from SD as well [and the reigning AG World Champion], were the top competitors this year in my division [along with me], and the three of us raced with each other all weekend with the World Championship in mind.
 
Stage 1, Day 1, my swim was great, my guide boat had a crummy line and took me on bad line current wise, but I swam well and with a lot of reserve and it was all part of the game. Dan had a surprising swim and followed a great line, exiting the current well ahead of both me and Mike. Despite the lost time in current I was very happy and well positioned I felt.

Before the event I felt that I may need to go at the AG WR [age group world record] pace on the bike, so I did that, and held ground well. Dan had a great bike and got another couple of minutes, but nothing of consequence. We left Mike far behind, but as a run specialist that doesn't matter at all. He can skin me alive on the run and has before. Both Dan and I broke the World Record for our Division on the Stage 1 Bike, despite hard conditions.
 
Day two Mike crashed on a bad descent and broke his upper arm and shoulder, which was a shame. He will be alright. I told him later that it was a good injury, as he could never swim for beans. Now we could start the legend of how he was once a 'great swimmer', until he broke his shoulder.......

Dan put a little more into me on Stage 2, nothing bad, I rode in my range and saved it for the run. I figured I could handle him on the double marathon on Stage 3, based on his past runs on that stage.

Stage 3 run everyone was hurting from two days of crummy weather and big wind, along with 17,100 feet of combined elevation gain over 261 miles of cycling [following a 6.2 mile swim]. You can't climb great on day one because the swim wrecks your upper body, so it is a legs only kind of climbing stage and really takes the stuffing out of everyone. My BHR hip just kept on humming along, no sign whatsoever that I had manmade articulating surfaces in one leg! Hour after hour of 100+ RPM riding under high load.

I ran really, really well, had great pacers and a great strategy and felt good. Big wind on the run, so what. It was nice just to be out there doing what I was doing with the level of athletes I was with I thought. I tell you, I have to give Dan Squiller credit, he was on fire and on the day that it mattered, and he took 1:09 off his best ever time at that distance. I had to make up 34 minutes on him, and so I had to really hook it. I ran great for about 40 miles, negative split it and he was still doable, but I blew-up big somewhere around 43 miles and  ended up just running it in at any pace I could. It didn't matter though, because I really gave it a good go and he truly beat me, the better athlete on the day. Too cool. i always pray my competitors have the race of their lives, so if I do beat them it is on their best day, and this day he did me fair and square.
 
Very cool.
 
Again! I am the bridesmaid to the World Champion in my Division, but it was after a wonderful 30-some hours of intense competition against the best in the world at these distances. I am in incredible condition for any age, and truly put forward an effort that honors the World Championships forum. That I have a BHR has nothing at all to do with my placing second [not first!], and everything to do with my being there at all. I intend to contest for the lead next year, and would be blessed if I had competitors of as high a caliber again to compete with. I bet I will!
 
Thanks,
 
Cory"

Finished. That was hard work. Tough conditions, took just over 31 hours to swim 6.2 miles, bike 261 miles and run a 52.4 mile double marathon. No wonder I am smiling. I am done!"

December 2, 2011 Update

I posted my third fastest [lifetime] Ultraman World Championships run on Sunday, my second fastest on this particular course [my fastest was when I was 37 years old!]. I did not win the World Championship in my division as hoped, but did keep pressure on the division leader throughout and would like to think the pressure caused him to cut more than an hour off of his best ever time at this distance in order to beat me. I take that as a personal victory, with or without a resurfaced hip, and am very happy with the way the whole thing went.

  Photos:  Cory Ultraman 2010

In February, I will be finishing [I hope] my 50th Ironman distance triathlon, They have a celebration planned for me. More than 1/4th of those finishes are on a BHR. I have more BHR finishes than most elite athletes have finishes period, with or without a BHR. I am more or less pain free, and attribute the pain I have to more of a general "just getting old" system wide thing than a hip-related problem. I finally learned how to solve the piriformis issue so many have battled, and believe that the resolution to that also relieves a lot of the friction in the joint which can lead to ion shedding in some people. I cannot imagine what my life would be like today had i not had this procedure done, nearly six years ago now. I am approached weekly by people looking for more than a total hip can offer their lifestyle, and am happy to say there are other options out there besides a total hip for active people.    

Cory

November 29, 2010 Update

He did it, he finished!  Finished his 18th (lifetime) Ultraman and his 6th SINCE he had his hip resurfaced on December 21, 2005.  Way to go Cory!! 

From Cory this morning:
"i had broken my right knee and this was the first ultraman since that. it worked fine. the weather was perfect, everything was good. i had support crew problems, and my times reflect that, but as far as finishing goes, i had no difficulty. i had / have awful blisters on feet and that is unusual for me - i think i was favoring my knee and that contributed.

"the hip is totally okay, absolutely no sign i did anything whatever. i still do not believe it even to this day!
cory"

http://ultramanlive.com/2008-ultraman-world-championships/2010-day-3-overall-results/

Amazing, Cory had broken his right knee in the last year and still finished an Ironman (his 10th since resurfacing) just last month and now another Ultraman finish making it is 18th all time and 6th since resurfacing, truly amazing!  

October 9, 2010 Update

Today, almost 5 years post op from his Right BHR, Cory Foulk, finished his 16^th Ford Ironman World Championship which was his 46^th Ironman finish.  Cory also has 17 Ultraman finishes (U.S. and Canada) in his lifetime and will be competing again this November in Ultraman 2010 . 

Since Cory had his right hip resurfaced almost 5 years ago, he has finished 10 Ironman and 5 Ultraman's.  Thank you Cory for pushing the limits and showing all of us surface hippies that with a well placed and proven device, anything is possible. You are truly an inspriation to us all.

October 16, 2009 Update

Cory Foulk, finished his 15^th Ford Ironman World Championship and his 45^th Ironman on a fixed gear bike. That was quite an upgrade from some of his other races – in 1996 he did the race on a Schwinn Typhoon single speed (see full article ) that weighed a ton and even had a kick stand.  He also has 17 Ultraman finishes (U.S. and Canada) in his lifetime.  Since his hip was resurfaced he has finished 9 Ironman and 5 Ultraman's with his BHR.

June 21, 2009 Update

Cory posted this on the Arthritis blog, I am adding it to his story with his permission:

"Total Hips Versus Surface Replacement:  The Fight Of The Decade "
Dr. K -

Certainly there is a case for the total hip, just as there is one for a Resurfaced Hip. The patient populations are significantly different, the procedures significantly different. More importantly I believe the patient expectations to be very different.

Were I to have followed the standard and highly developed course of treatment in my condition (AVN / degenerative joint disease onset at 38 years of age) as recommended by many of the United States top orthopedic surgeons (my airfares far exceeded the surgeon consultation fees), I would have been on pain management medication with a very limited activity profile still, twelve years later. Thank goodness I would have been nearing the age by now (12 years later) when a radical surgeon would have just "throw out the rules" and given me a THR.

Instead, after a lot of research and years of study, I had my hip resurfaced three years ago. Instead of suffering for another three years, I have instead completed 8 Ironman Distance Triathlons, 5 Ultraman Distance Triathlons, 3 Ultramarathon runs, 3 marathon runs, and an Ultracycling race. My resurfaced hip functions well, I can leg press 625 pounds for reps, do full squats and run a sub-16 minute 5k. I have participated in chromium ion studies with blood draws and so on before during and after events, and have worked with a number of resurfacing and total hip patients. I am happy to have my life back. I have survived a major post-op cycle crash and had no injury to the resurfaced hip, no femoral neck fracture. I am the fellow who ran a marathon at 89 days post-op, and I have a fellow resurfacing patient who ran one at 4 months. neither of us suffered any more than one would normally suffer in a marathon, and neither of us has a long term debilitating failure.

I too have spoken before the AAOS and many surgical groups large and small. I believe the mistake here is that perhaps of an application to the wrong patient group - you comparing apples to oranges in other words. Certainly an orange will make better orange juice hands down, just as an apple will make better apple juice. I am very pleased to find myself in a more informed and demanding patient group (as the response to your ditty seems to indicate) than your profession has ever experienced, and I can see how daunting it must be for surgeons today to have to back their positions with real data as opposed to manufacturer hand-outs (which seems to be where most of your information came from) and bluster.

For me, I would suggest to anyone who suffers that there is a procedure that is right for you, whether it is a total hip or a total resurfacing. Find the best one for your case, and find the surgeon who best hears your expectations.

Bon viv!

Dr. William C. "Cory" Foulk"

December 11, 2008 Update
On November 30, 2008 Cory Foulk finished his Lifetime 17th Ultraman, 5th since his hip resurfacing surgery on 12/21/05, holding strong to his title of 2nd most Ultraman finishes in the world and earning the title of 2nd in the world for his age group.  See below for the details of an Ultraman course which is about double an Ironman.

Cory has finished 41 Ironman’s to date, 8 since his surgery and in Cory’s own words, "this hip is unbelievable."

November 2008 (almost 3 years post op and the hip still PERFORMS!)

"Less than three years post-op i finished my fifth ultraman distance event. here i am at mile 39 of the 52 mile run component. my pacer is a hippy of a different stripe; she had her piriformis removed in santa monica 10 months prior, and has qualified for and finished the ironman world championships in october. jeff jensen (BHR hippy) ran fifteen miles with me just prior to this. he is an ironman and is less than a year post-op and loving his return to sport.

the cycle photo is during the same ultraman event, this is about mile 120 of the 260 mile bike, in full smith and nephew livery. it is in the 40's temp wise here. too hot to run 52 miles in this attire. the temp where the run photo is taken is in the low 100's!"

October 11, 2007
Cory Foulk - Ironman World Championship in Hawaii this weekend!

For many who get the chance to even compete at this prestigious event (it is by invitation only), this is the ultimate competition. For Cory Foulk, it is just another fun filled day to get some miles in as training for the Ultraman World Championships in November.

Ultraman Live

This weekend will be Cory’s 41st Ironman competition, this being his 13th Ironman World Championship and his 5th Ironman finish since his hip resurfacing surgery on December 21, 2005 by Dr. Vijay Bose.

To give you an idea of the differences between them, take a look at the distances for the Olympics, then the Ironman, then the Ultraman!

In triathlon, there are basically four distances:

1.) Olympic Distance
Swim .9 miles
Bike 25 miles
Run 6.2 miles

2.) Long Course or 70.2
Swim 1.2 miles
Bike 56 miles
Run 13.1 miles

3.) Ironman
Swim 2.4 miles
Bike 112 miles
Run 26.2 miles

4.) Ultraman
Swim 6.2 miles
Bike 260.1 miles
Run 52.4 miles

Can you imagine anyone swimming 6.2 miles, let alone bike and run those distances after??? Yikes!

Here are some details about how difficult it is to get into these events and compete.

Ultraman world's is by invitation only. Every year they choose the top athletes from those that apply based on their performance in the past years events. they are then extended an invitation to compete." —Cory

From those that accept there is usually a 60% finish rate. 40% of those that accept do not make the distance, much less compete for the fastest finishing time in their division.

 Photo: on right you can see Cory's scar on his right hip from his BHR

Ironman worlds is the culmination of the years Ironman distance events worldwide, with the top finishers in each age group from 20 different races around the world coming to Kona to compete to see who is best at that distance. out of 20,000 who are racing worldwide specifically for a slot in the Ironman worlds each year, there are only 1600 who make it. Ironman world's has a finish rate of around 92%, as everybody has finished an Ironman in top position already that year making the distance is not a deal."

Cory is 2nd in the world for Ultraman finishes.

http://www.realendurance.com/AllTimeList.php?a=UMHI&c=280#Finishes
(Click on the All Time List)

[More people climb mount Everest each year than have ever finished an Ultraman in 23 years total - it is difficult to finish].

In his current division at the Ultraman World Championships (male, 45-49) he has placed 1st twice, and second twice in four starts.

He placed third overall at Ultraman Canada last month and second overall at Ironman revisited in August 2007 with his resurfaced hip!

http://www.ultramancanada.com/html/2007.html
http://www.challengedathletes.org/compete/Ironman2007Results.htm

Absolutely amazing! Cory deserves an applaud for his efforts and it is great that he will speaking at the Miami Ortho conference to help educate the surgeons that running, is possible on these bionic hips of ours.

Hot out? You have to be kidding! After swimming 2.4 miles in the mediterrainian, then biking 112 miles through the alps, we did a marathon on the cote d'azure that was just unbelievably hot. Having fun yet, doctor?

Up the alps. We biked inland six miles up a river valley, then turned and climbed 5000 feet up a ridge in the next twenty miles. Just up and up and up....

That is the operated leg toward the camera, you can see how the muscle development came back and the flexibility. Excellent!

Yes, I am smiling. It is one of those kind of smiles though, like, "wow, what was that all about?" things.

Cory Ironman
July 23, 2006

Hi Everyone,

I just heard from Cory. The hip held up beautifully but the unexpected rain made for a dangerously slick and challenging course during the bike ride over the cobblestone roads. Cory did not stay hydrated enough during the cycle challenge and when the sun returned during the run, heat exhaustion took over due to dehydration. He made it through six miles then stopped at the medical tent for a professional opinion, they iced him down and he drank water for about half an hour. He got back into the race for another two miles then had to stop. I hope he does not mind that I post his words below, because to me, they are beautiful words for those of us who can appreciate being whole again after the wonders of resurfacing. I think Cory deserves a big congratulations for raising the bar and showing what is possible in the world of resurfacing. Here are his own words about the experience and his new hip:

"The hip - well, I wouldn't have had the chance if I hadn't undergone a brilliant surgery at the hands of vijay bose. absolutely no pain; my cycling position requires that my knee rise up to my chest (to the mid-point of my upper arm) 100 times per minute while under load - for six hours! are you nuts? doing that has just been a dream for the past 5 years; longer in fact. geez. I was totally amazed.

When you train, you never really get down in that 'aero' position and stay there all morning. you do it for a while, then you sit up and take a drink, or look at the coastline, or watch traffic, or whatever. then back down. during a race, you just get down and go, and sit back up at the end. unless somebody goes into the hay bails in front of you and you need to evade, you just stay tucked in the whole time.

I fully expected to get off the bike and be stuck bent over! I had that happen a couple of times : ) 'joe super-athlete' - there you are, all bent over walking around like groucho marx : )

That never happened. I was totally loose and ready to go when I got off - now, for those of us with former hip problems, let me say it this way "I was totally fine when I stopped, and swung my leg off the bike, easily clearing the seat and back wheel"...other people would not understand that. you would. just to be able to swing your leg up and over something is such a blessing!"

We are all truly blessed to have found resurfacing and I think Cory is amazing. To enter an Iron man Triathlon at 7 months and 2 days post op and the hip worked like a normal hip should. :-) Cory will be back in action when he enters the original Iron man in Honolulu Hawaii on August 13.

Open your eyes all you uninformed OS out there and take a look at the possibilities resurfacing has to offer. Now if only we can get this information into the hands of Floyd Landis, the world would be a better place for those of us that suffer from AVN/OA.

Vicky
LBHR Dr. Bose Dec 01 05

Don't Try This at Home, Bose Hippy runs marathon at under 3 months post op
March 20, 2006
Cory Foulk, some of you remember him as Dr. William Foulk, ran a Marathon yesterday.

http://www.hilomarathon.com/index.php?content=home

The guy is absolutely amazing. He had his hip resurfaced by Dr. Bose on December 21, less then three months ago.

He started running at 3 1/2 weeks post op building up to 10 mile stretches at six weeks post op. Here is a quote from an email I got from Cory this morning:

Tomorrow is my three month anniversary, I went under the knife at 8:30 a.m. on the 21st of December. and yesterday, I ran a marathon - 26.2 miles; finished, got a medal, a shirt, and a pair of really soggy shoes, unreal. The hip just totally performed." —Cory

He ran the distance, made the cut off with plenty to spare and didn't hurt himself. He is just a little stiff this morning but didn't even need any aspirin or ibuprofen. Absolutely amazing. I would not recommend this to anyone else to try, but it sure is nice to see that anything REALLY IS possible with our new resurfaced hips. Congratulations Cory!!

Vicky
LBHR Dr. Bose 12/01/05

In 1996 Cory Foulk  wheeled in his 61-pound monstrosity towards the Ironman World Championship bike corral, every eye in the house was on him.  Read below how Cory finished an Ironman competition on a Typhoon Beach Cruiser not to mention the tie-dyed Speedo and the Fred Kahuna Aloha Shirt that he raced in.  So why did he go retro at Ironman? Cory loves the sport and lives on the Big Island, but he felt that triathletes and the event had gotten a little too serious.

“I just wanted to go out there and have a little fun,” he says.  And he did.  After coming out of the water, he started
making up some serious ground. When you’ve got a 61-pound neon yellow beast with one gear, you’re forced to work pretty hard on the uphills. But those downhills are SWEET!  He did the bike ride, believe it or not, barefoot.

The total cost for the bike was $15… with the basket.  "It cost me more for the three cans of spray paint it took to cover the bike,” he insists. He also had rainbow straws put on the bike spokes to add just a hint of color along with streamers
coming out the end of the handlebars and the foam flames attached to his helmet.

Back then,” he says, “I wanted to prove that you don’t need ten grand to do the Ironman.” A big smile.  All you need is some sunscreen, a little spray paint and a really cheap bike.” 

See full article here

Leg Length Issue Pre-Op
22mm leg length difference corrected by Dr. Bose during Hip Resurfacing Surgery

Pre-op shoes: The top shoe [right side] has a 12.5mm lift full length. I was wearing a 6mm lift inside as well to help make up the leg length difference. I used a pair with (2) 12.5mm sole lifts stacked and no insole lift for the final Ultraman event before surgery. They are on display at the local cobbler's shop.

Pre-op shoes rear view: Don't know why the right shoe is left in the picture, but you can see the sole lift form the rear. This made a lot of difference in how much pain i was in as well as how my stride looked and worked. I think these lifted shoes helped more than most things to keep me in action. My massage therapist was of the idea that the lifted shoes may have rotated the cysts out of the impact area or partially out.

I also had a machinist make me an aluminum billet lift for my right cycling cleat. It was hollowed out and very nicely done, allowing a 12.5 mm lift with little weight or complication.

Post Op Performance Running by Cory Foulk

Jogging and Returning to Impact Sports by Cork Foulk