A Pro Runner Broke his Ankle in a Pothole During the Crim

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Recorded my first DNF today, but I think I got my money’s worth. I was running in the pack just before the mile and unfortunately could not see the ground ahead of me. I landed perfectly on the edge of a big ol’ pothole and fractured the head of my fibula. The kindly doctor who read my x-ray said that of the ankle fractures, this is the best one. So I got that going for me ‍♂️. ⠀ It has been an interesting year, in the way that things are “interesting” when your vocabulary fails you. I’ve had two great stretches of training felled by injury. Each time I’ve begun writing a triumphal narrative in my head, only to have the story I’ve shaped come to an abrupt and expected end. That, in my opinion, is zero fun. In times like this, before I fully submerge in self pity, I try to remember how lucky I am to even have these opportunities to lose. If a few things had gone differently; if my aerobic system wasn’t so good at transporting oxygen; if my femurs were a bit shorter; if I was never on that travel basketball team with Paul Box and his Mom hadn’t convinced my parents Cross Country would be good for me, I wouldn’t have had all the successes and joy I’ve been lucky to have. I think like most people, I tend to see my achievements as a product of some inherent virtue and my setbacks as a sign of some great cosmic unfairness. But all of it, the triumphs and the failures, it’s all contingent in its way. Like William Munny said, deserve’s got nothing to do with it.

A post shared by Chris Derrick (@cderrickrun) on Aug 24, 2019 at 8:12am PDT

He was using the Crim 10-mile as a training run for the Chicago marathon, which he has now pulled out of.

Chris Derrick is a professional runner from Oregon who has won three US Cross Country championships. He was training for the Chicago Marathon and decided to run the Crim as a training run with his group.

Just before the one-mile mark, he stepped into a pothole and fell down...and broke the tip of his fibula. At first, he thought it was a sprain but as he limped back to the med tent, the swelling got worse. He was taken to a local hospital where it was confirmed that he fractured his ankle; he'll need to take 6-8 weeks off from running. Luckily, he won't need surgery.

It appears as though he's faulting the tight formation of his group of ten runners; he couldn't see the ground. Let's hope he sticks to that and doesn't realize how bad our roads really are.