Martin Parnell

It seems even the limitations of his own body can’t stop Cochrane’s Martin Parnell from reaching his goal of 250 marathons in a year.

During his 30th marathon Feb. 10, Parnell felt pain in his lower left leg and went to the doctor to have some tests run. Originally it was determined by a clinical doctor that Parnell had a stress fracture near his ankle that would sideline him for up to two months.But Parnell’s own physician, Dr. William Hanlon, was unconvinced and sent the seasoned runner to a specialist at the University of Calgary. There it was determined that Parnell had developed a muscle strain likely due to some inflexibility in his left ankle.

While coping with a muscle strain in his lower left leg, Cochrane's marathon man Martin Parnell, right, returned to his goal of 250 marathons in a year with some friends on March 1, walking 50 lengths on a trail in the Cochrane community of West Pointe. Photo by Jeremy Nolais.

“As you can imagine it was a bit of a rollercoaster for me,” Parnell said.

“One day I was told it’s a stress fracture and you’re out for six to eight weeks, the next thing I’m told is it’s a muscle strain, which you can probably do something with.”

Cochrane physiotherapist Serge Tessier, who works with Parnell on a weekly basis at Cochrane Sport Physical Therapy, said his patient is able to carry on with his campaign, but must remain careful in the weeks ahead.

“As seasoned of an athlete as Martin is, taking on the task of running this distance in such a short period of time is going to lead to certain adaptive changes over time,” Tessier said. “I think Martin has to be very smart about what he does to minimize the risks of developing these stress fractures.”

Eager to return to his mission, Parnell headed back out on March 1 for marathon No. 31, this time walking 50 lengths of a trail in the Cochrane community of West Pointe.

“I can’t just go out and start running, that would create the same issue which is probably not a smart thing to do,” Parnell said. “I am just going to have to figure out how to manage this issue . . . it’s going to be sort of week-to-week at the moment.”

While waiting for test results Parnell missed 11 marathon days.

“I have given myself 12 spare days when planning this whole thing. I guess I still have one day left,” Parnell said, chuckling.

Nevertheless, the determined athlete remains convinced he can reach his goal and raise $250,000 for Right To Play, an international humanitarian organization supported by athletes around the world. So far, Parnell has raised $9,600 and has $22,000 committed by sponsors of future marathons.

“The support from the community has been absolutely fantastic,” he said.

And his brave endeavour has also earned a great deal of international attention. Parnell was interviewed over the phone by CNN, asked to write an article for a running magazine in the Czech Republic and even received a get-well video message from Slovakian NHL star Zdeno Chara, who is a Right To Play ambassador himself.

More information about Martin Parnell’s marathon campaign can be found at marathonquest250.com.

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