Claire Markwardt is my kind of woman, full of stamina, passion, and (excuse me, please) just plain guts! During a race, she broke her leg, fell to the ground, tried to stand up, fell again, and full of grit, passion and gumption crawled over the finish line.
The full story and a video of her crossing the finish line here.
It was as she was running the last cross country race of her high school career that, mid-race, she broke her leg.
“I was fine until about 200 meters away and then it started to hurt and then it cracked a couple times,” Markwardt said. She tried to get up, but her leg broke again.
“I knew I really couldn’t stay there and I didn’t wanna let my team down and I had gone that far, so there wasn’t really a point in laying there,” the senior at Berkshire High School told the station.
My kind of woman! You go, Claire.
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My devotional blog is here.
Shirley Buxton 
9 replies on “With a Broken Leg, She Crawls Over the Finish Line”
Rochelle–
It’s a promise you have made–Take care of yourself!
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Sister Buxton – Well, it seems as though most people, of the very few who I have told (people know I ran, but not many know about the stress fracture) share your opinion! All I can say is, I know… I know… I know you are all right! It’s hard to explain, it was just something I felt like I had to do. I suppose it’s that part of me that feels the need to push myself just a little farther. But it certainly has taken away some of the personal accomplishment I felt… 😦 But I will take better care of myself. Promise! 🙂
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Good morning, Rochelle–
The comment was not too long, but it has stressed me. I’m not sure whether to be proud of your passion and endurance or to be ashamed of your foolish judgment. 🙂
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Sorry… that was a very long comment!!
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I read about this the evening before I was supposed to run an 8 mile race with my friend Tammie. We had been training for this 8 miler for aw hile. The problem? Well, about 2 months, maybe more, I started having pains in my left ankle. I ignored it and ignored it until one day I ran and immediately afterwards… I could not walk. The pain was terrible! My friend, Tammie, convinced me to go to a doctor. (I had refused before because we have no insurance AND I was afraid of being told I couldn’t run.) But after resting for over a week, and the pain was still there, I decided to go. After several x-rays they told me I have a stress fracture that had begun to heal, and I need to stay off it for the next 6 to 8 weeks. Running was out of the question. I was extremely dissappointed because running is what has helped me to lose weight, and quite frankly, has helped me feel better about myself! The 8 mile race was in 3 days, and against the advice of my doctor, my husband, and all my friends, I decided I would run one last time. I wanted badly to finish what I started. I babied my ankle, icing and staying off of it until race day. Tammie, who is a nurse, wrapped my ankle, and my right heel which has problems of its own. Now back your blog… I saw this story the evening before I ran, and the reason why she broke her leg was because she was running on a stress fracture! My heart sank, and I got really scared! But I just had to finish what I started… I wanted to run… it may be one of the dumbest things I have done in a long time, but I did run. And I finsih the race. Although I am paying for it now! That young lady was very brave, and although I didn’t want to break my leg… she inspired me. But promised my husband, and my friends, I am taking 6 to 8 weeks off to let it heal.
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Eva–
Blessings and happiness to your entire family.
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What a courageous gal! What a lesson for us all.
Wishing you and yours a Blessed Thanksgiving!
Love you!!!!
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Good morning, Jayleigh–
Your post is humbling. Thank you. I do hope that some day we will meet.
Hope your day is glorious.
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Wow that’s some kind of drive!
Have been thinking about you this week, Shirley! Several times I wondered what you would have done in a particular situation. I do that sometimes, draw from the character, experiences, etc of my friends.
🙂 Have a blessed Thanksgiving.
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