My Ultramarathon Timeline – An Exosym Ultra Runner’s Journey

February 11, 2022
My running hopes essentially ended in a mundane clinic in Everett, WA. The dynamic AFOs failed after many build attempts. The clinician didn’t care. “I’ll ship a new footplate when I get a chance but we’re really backed up. I’ll adjust the new set of AFOs and send them later.” I nodded, and replied “thank you, good seeing you” and threw on my backpack and walked out the door. I flew home, but now poorer, depressed, and looking up wheelchair options.

February 12-13, 2022
I started searching for anything that might work. One name kept appearing: the Exosym.

I devoured blogs, social media threads, and YouTube videos late into the night. Hope started growing again—dangerously big. Big enough that I caught myself imagining an ultramarathon. Which was absurd. I could barely walk.

February 14, 2022
I called the Hanger Clinic in Gig Harbor, WA and asked for a consultation with IDEO/Exosym inventor Ryan Blanck

February 17, 2022
A phone consultation with Ryan Blanck took place. Then came the waiting.

February 18, 2022
Koreen Peterson informs me the clinic had a cancellation for next week. They could squeeze me in. I booked a flight, car, and hotel.

February 22, 2022
I travel from Vegas to Gig Harbor, WA and hard launch my Exosym journey.

Stop timeline…
Note, a lot happens between these dates above and that below. I experienced many setbacks from February 22, 2022 and onwards as I grew into my new running life. This is the nature of prosthetics and orthotics and I am no different. Progress was never linear. I relied heavily on Ryan Blanck and others to help build me into a runner.

Resume timeline…

3 days into wearing the Exosyms I ran a short sprint across Blanck’s Hanger clinic floor.

3 months later I could run several miles.

August 26, 2022
I ran on an all adaptive relay Hood to Coast relay team. I ran 3 legs of the course for a total of 17 miles in 24 hours. My body shook uncontrollable for hours after the final leg. I wasn’t good enough. Time to go silent and train.

May 23, 2023
I finished my first half-marathon.

April 13, 2024
I finished my first 50k.

November 22, 2024
I finished 45 miles.

February 15, 2025
I finished my first 50 miler.

November 21, 2025
I finished 100k.

March 8, 2026
I finished 100 miles.

Not one of these distances happened without relentless work spanning years. When I say relentless, I mean I spend more hours on my feet than many elite runners—because it simply takes me longer to finish the same weekly mileage.

And I train beyond the mileage.

I train as a hybrid prosthetic runner.

Along the way there were:

• pressure sores
• constant device adjustments
• a complete rebuild when my leg changed
• and a broken foot that I ran my 50-miler on

But through all of it, I never allowed myself to focus on not finishing.

Only on what came next.

Each finish line became the starting line for the next goal.

First one mile.

Then one hundred.

I share this timeline because I was born with severe birth defects from my face to my lower limbs.

I was never supposed to walk.

Despite archaic disabling surgeries...

devasting setbacks...

and negative prognoses from every doctor who examines me...

I still go far.

And this year will be my best running year yet.

Because when you believe the story is over…

that’s often just the moment you turn the page.

 

Published on March 11, 2026