Testimonial: Doyle Downs - The Boston Marathon

BOSTON MARATHON in Z-CoiL® Shoes

The Boston Marathon, every distance runner's dream. Well, I finally made it. Yes, I did have to wait for my age to catch up with my abilities. Turned 60, which means I needed a 4-hour time to qualify for Boston. Some might say anyone can go 26.2 miles in 4 hours, but go ahead, give it a try. I had never run four hours in any previous marathon, but I knew it was possible, especially with help of a running friend who became my personal trainer.

Now the bad news. After I ran the St. George marathon in October in 3:55 to qualify for Boston, I had a minor groin injury in December and lost most of the month. Then [I had] a lot of travel and conflicts in January. Got serious about training in February, and guess what? Hurt my foot/heel. At first, the doctor thought it was plantar fasciitis, but then my family doctor thought it was a bruised heel. Either way, the only training it allowed was some stationary bike riding, but not much. Couldn't believe it, ten years in preparation with no major injuries, except minor knee surgery, and now ready for Boston and hurt.

As a part of trying to recuperate from the foot injury, my doctor had recommended a shoe called Z-CoiL® that would save the day. I really didn't think I could finish the race, but since my friend was going, I decided to go and at worst I would get a better understanding of Boston, do a few miles and drop out, but be better prepared to go back next year.

These shoes saved the day for my heel. Well, at least allowed me to do a walk/run and finish the race. Pretty wild?

Didn't make my 4 hours, but made it. Foot hurt, but it was worth it. Without the [Z-CoiL® shoes] I would never have been able to finish. Really excited about how it will be next year when, hopefully, it will be well.

My foot is still healing, so whenever I don't wear my [Z-CoiL® shoes] the pain level goes way up. I am so very thankful to Z-CoiL. I plan to continue wearing my [Z-CoiL® footwear] for some of my training runs when my foot is back to normal. With it, I hope to get at least ten more years of running.

Doyle Downs
Woodway, TX