Laura Walker only startedrunningfive years ago, at age 45.
Her condition now manifests as low-levelchronic pain, especially during physical activity.
Like any marathon runner, Walker feels antsy in the days before the race because she cant run.
Walker and her daughter, Marie, after a Color Me Rad 5k run
In fact, for most of her life, she didnt think shed need running shoes at all.
As an infant, Walker was already rolling over at two weeks.
Her mother was delighted, thinking she had some kind of athletic prodigy.
Walker, as a baby, in her body cast
The first well-baby checkup dashed that enthusiasm.
The doctor discovered that Walker could achieve the feat because her hip sockets hadn’t formed.
The hip is a ball-and-socket joint that allows controlled movement of the leg.
Walker, right, training with the Team ULTRA
For a visual, make one hand into a fist and cup it with the other hand.
As you move the fist, the cupped hand keeps it steady.
Take the cup away, and the fist just floats freely.
In babies, the hip socket is made of soft, pliable cartilage.
The brace helps hold the leg in place, so that the socket and ligaments can stabilize over time.
For Walker, the brace didnt remove the effects of dysplasia completely.
Her hip flexors are frequently in pain.
Walker watched her daughter, Marie, graduate with a huge sense of pride.
But soon after, she could feel the distance expanding.
I think some mother-daughter pairs do things likeyogaor pottery or something.
She adds, with a laugh, We chose an activity that were both pretty bad at instead.
Marie had recently started running, and Walker tagged along to spend time with her.
Still, they kept going, and even developed a sweetly ferocious sense of competition with each other.
That led to more training, and eventually,half-marathons, including the New York City Half-Marathon last year.
Still, Walker remembers standing alongside the route, watching the marathon runners and thinking they were crazy.
I would see them and think, Why would you want to run that?
Now I cant wait to get to that starting line myself.
As a New York state native, no other marathon would do but the NYC Marathon.
Obviously, its the best one, she says with a laugh.
On a whim, she entered the lottery just after her 50th birthday.
But she didnt get in.
I was relieved, actually, she recalls.
I thought it was the universe confirming that I shouldnt do this.
But a little part of me was disappointed.
So thats what she wrote about in her essay.
I want other people to make a leap of faith, the way I did, she says.
When she got chosen, Walker cried out of shock.
Then I realized Id have to actually execute the marathon, so maybe I should start training for it.
She found a marathon training plan to follow and joined a running club to stay motivated.
Its such an opportunity to let go of everything, she says.
Im very aware of my body mechanics, she says.
Id rather run with a healed whole body than suffer through for the sake of running.
For most races, Walker writes her fathers name on one arm and her brothers on the other.
These are two people in my life that I have always looked up to, she says.
I hold them very close, and putting their names on my arms feels like theyll be with me.
And I know that my daughter will be at the finish waiting for me.
Theyre all going to carry me through.
You May Also Like: This Athlete Refuses to Let Her Spinal Condition Hold Her Back
