How runners can stop toe nails coming off or turning black during marathons and ultra events
- Toe nails peeling off, then struggling to grow back months after a long race, is a common affliction facing trail and road runners
Runners take perverse pride in their gross toe nails, wearing their grim injury as a badge of honour. Although toe nails falling off and then failing to grow back is common in the sport, there are some simple ways to prevent it or promote their healing.
Cut your nails
Snip your nails the night before the race and snip them square, not curved. Make sure you cut them the way you have done during your training – do not try something new, or cut them shorter than you ever have done. It might sound like a simple task you’ve completed a thousand times, but if you cut toe nails too short, then you risk developing ingrown toe nails.
If you are worried, treat yourself to a pedicure a few days before the race. Tell the professional why you are cutting your nails, and they will get it just right.
Make sure your shoe fits
