Veteran runner urges chronic pain sufferers to get moving
A 75-year-old Mosman man, who could barely walk six months ago, has turned back the body clock to finish the gruelling City2Surf run. And in doing so, he’s urged others suffering chronic pain to do the same.
Former journalist, author and automotive commentator, John Smailes, suffered from a subchondral insufficiency fracture in his right knee, which left him virtually immobile.
According to Mr. Smailes, “Honestly, I went to walk up there to a nearby fitness centre, just a kilometer away, and I couldn’t do it. A simple kilometer, because it really, really hurt.”
Mr. Smailes, who has run in dozens of City2Surf events over several decades, thought his running days were over. But then, he made a bet with his physio that he’d not only compete, but finish within a time frame twice that of his much younger rival.
He’d been a gym junkie for years but, post-covid, wanted to avoid a sweaty regular gym. His wife urged him to try a nearby Kieser clinic.
“I got involved in their way of doing things and the precise means by which they undertake each body movement. I’d never experienced it at any gym where you’re usually judged by how much you can lift. At Kieser, it wasn’t about the amount of weight but the precision and then they introduced me to their physios. Daniel (my physio) was incredible, he wrote me a program and it was nothing short of amazing,” according to Mr. Smailes.
Mr. Smailes said, “I competed in the City2Surf several weeks ago. Daniel finished in 55 minutes, and I was under 110 minutes. So, it was a fantastic result. I never thought I could do it after the pain I’d experienced.”
“I came off the fourteen kilometers and walked to my daughter who was waiting in a car. I suspect she thought she would pick up a wreck! But now I’m working to get my speed up again.”
Mr. Smailes wants other people suffering from back or joint pain to know his story. “You don’t have to go through life suffering pain when there is help out there. I’m already planning my next running event. With the right mindset and the right program, you can change your life.”
Images: Supplied