Lanni Marchant's Road to Recovery
07.20.2019

The Road to Recovery

Lanni Marchant Is Willing to Do Whatever It Takes to Get Back on Track

The Under Armour Portland office is home to the company’s Center for Performance Innovation, which includes a state-of-the-art biomechanics lab and performance training center for athlete testing. It’s also where Canadian record-breaking marathon runner Lanni Marchant first discovered a career-changing injury.

 

In 2017, Lanni was at an event showcasing UA HOVR, Under Armour’s latest running shoe technology, when Michael Watts, Senior Manager of Athlete Performance, noticed something was off with her gait. Michael and the team, led by VP of Athlete Performance Paul Winsper, put her through gait analysis testing where they found her left foot wasn’t pushing off with any power. Lanni had experienced pain in her hip before, but past sports medicine experts had missed her injury. 

 

"When athletes come to us, we focus on the holistic person; we don't lead with the sport. We dig deep to understand how they fundamentally move and then we set about creating personalized programs to optimize their training and recovery strategies."

Paul Winsper, VP of Athlete Performance at Under Armour

Following the trip to Portland, Lanni made the tough decision to proceed with surgery so she could someday run pain-free again. “I’m supposed to be one of the best in the country doing this and I’ve had to re-learn how to do it and build from the ground up, like a beginner," Lanni says about her decision to interrupt training for surgery.

 

“At Lanni’s level of running, I only know a handful of athletes that have actually had this procedure done and have come back successfully at a world class level," says Chiropractic Sports Physician Dr. John Ball. A year after the surgery, Lanni is now well into her recovery and has started competing again. At the Summer Night 5K in London, Ontario last night, Lanni won the women’s race and placed fourth overall. Lanni explains, “I don’t want to run unless I’m doing it right. With Under Armour supporting me with each step, it makes my decision easier to focus on my recovery.” 

 

With Tokyo a year away, Lanni is the most motivated she’s ever been and is ready to try new training techniques and conquer her goals. 

 

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