John Vonhof - Fixing Your Feet: Prevention and Treatments for Athletes

I have had the distinct pleasure of seeing John Vonhof work with endurance athletes before, during, and after some of the worlds toughest foot races, and I can say with great confidence that no one knows feet better than John. Based on years of research and experience, he has compiled the ultimate guide on foot care for athletes. Fixing Your Feet contains practical treatments of foot problems and reveals tried-and-true secrets about how to prevent them. Whether you are a recreational hiker, an adventure racer, or an elite ultramarathon runner, this book has the answers youve been looking for.

Lisa Bliss, MD, Medical Director of the Worlds Toughest Foot Race, the Badwater Ultramarathon

John Vonhof has more practical experience fixing feet than anyone I know. At the Badwater Ultramarathon he helps participants by working on blister prevention and repairing feet, enabling them to endure exposure to heat, friction, and moisture (the main causes of blisters). John is the expert, has the experience, and is the go-to guy for feet. Fixing Your Feet is comprehensive and complete; it is a must-read for foot care.

Marshall Ulrich adventure racer and seven summiter who has crossed Death Valley 22 times; author of Running on Empty

If you are an extreme athlete, you need this book. Its confession time. As a veteran of more than 80 marathons as well as ultramarathons up to 100 miles, and being a podiatrist for 18 years, I thought I knew it all. Johns comprehensive approach of asking the so-called medical experts as well as the real experts out in the trenches for their tried-and-true advice will bring you more value for your endurance event than a podiatry degree ever will.

Bill Johncock, DPM Fellow, American Academy of Sports Medicine Board Certified, American Board of Podiatric Surgery

Just about everything I have learned and passed on about working on endurance athletes and soldiers feet I have learned from watching John completely and patiently repair blistered feet that I would have considered candidates for amputation. I am truly in awe of what John does with bad feet. The shame is that his reservoir of knowledge is so comprehensive that had his patients listened to him ahead of time on prevention, they would likely not have needed his services. There is no one alive today, in my experience, who has the knowledge and experience on how to prevent andif you didnt listen the first timefix endurance athlete foot problems than John. I cheerfully and humbly doff my hat to him.

Anthony C. Woofie Humpage, CSCS, FMS USA Triathlon Certified Coach Badwater Ultramarathon medical team Developer of SELECTED! a program for U.S. Army Special Forces

I consider Fixing Your Feet a must-have for every sports podiatrist! It is an invaluable resource.

Rob Conenello, DPM Global Clinical Advisor, Special Olympics Honorary Police Surgeon, New York Police Department Vice President, American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine

When a foot problem arises, this books clear, concise explanations and fixes are wonderful. The book is comprehensive; every relevant topic is addressed. If you run ultras and you have at least one foot, you should have Fixing Your Feet.

Karl King president of SUCCEED Sportsdrink, LLC, and inventor of S! Caps

Fixing Your Feet is the go-to foot care reference for the endurance athlete, period. Dont prepare for your next event without it.

Tim Jantz, DPM podiatrist and ultrarunner; www.foot-doc.net

If theres one thing that can turn an ultrarun or adventure race into a nightmare experience, it is sore and injured feet. Blistering and other foot ailments are not a luck, or lack thereof, situation. Prerace care and conditioning, maintenance during a race, and the knowledge of how to deal with issues as they arise are crucial. Vonhof is the undisputed foot guru. His advice is sound and simple, and it comes as much from his own experience as his time spent at hundreds of races, working with thousands of athletes. Fixing Your Feet guides you through caring for and maintaining your feet. Although he teaches you how to patch blisters and deal with a variety of foot ailments, his objective is to have you running pain free from start to finish. He promotes prevention. And the recipe is easy. Read Fixing Your Feet. Do. Run.

Lisa de Speville, adventure racer, ultrarunner, and editor of www.ar.co.za, South Africas adventure racing website

I began using Johns techniques from a photocopied handout at my very first expedition race and it was a godsend. As soon as I got home, I ordered the book and it became my bible. John and I became friends when we met at Primal Quest and I consider him my mentor. I highly recommend Fixing Your Feet to anyone who puts their feet through adverse conditions. You will wonder how you ever raced without it!

Maddalena Acconci, also known as M. A. Emergency Medical Responder/Advanced Wilderness First Responder Medical Coordinator, Frontier Adventure Racing, Canada

In preparing for the 2009 four-day, 120-mile Nijmegen March in Holland, I had issues with shoe fit, blisters, toenail problems, and much more. While searching for answers, I found Fixing Your Feet and even e-mailed John. I was put on the right path, corrected all the errors in my training, and learned foot careenabling me to cross the finish line and win my medal.

William Hunter 93rd Nijmegen Marches, Medal reward #1, 50 4 kilometers www.trainingforthenijmegenmarch.com

I have always had issues with blisters, particularly on long mountain runs. Since reading Fixing Your Feet and implementing Johns techniques, I have not had any blister issues. This includes long runs in the mountains and pacing at Badwater for four years, including one double crossing and one starting at Las Vegas. For those with foot issues, this book is the solution to your foot problems.

Scott Morgan ultrarunner, endurance athlete, climber, and coach for www.sealfit.com

Thank you for your amazing ability to give the runners such superb foot care and to educate while doing it. Your vast and incomparable knowledge of foot care for athletes in Fixing Your Feet is, without a doubt, the best in the entire world! I marvel always when I get the chance to work with you, as each time I come away learning more yet craving more. With your medical background and amazing focus and memory, each runner gets the unique opportunity to learn about his individual needs while you expertly patch and care for those sore feet.

Denise Jones, Badwater Blister Queen

I cant praise Fixing Your Feet enough. Its written for us, the walkers and hikers and runners who need advice on what to do before and after we stress our feet.

Wendy Bumgardner About.com Guide to Walking, walking.about.com

This is itthe best book ever written on foot care. Everyone who has been bothered by foot problems or wants to prevent them should own this book.

Bill Trolan, MD, author of the Blister Fighter Guide and medical consultant to adventure racing teams

I reference Fixing Your Feet often when consulting with customers about their foot troubles. There simply is no replacement for the amount of relevant content introduced in Fixing Your Feet . The product recommendations are unbiased and based on experience with real athletes. Fixing Your Feet is a must-read for serious runners, hikers, and team sports athletes.

Jason Pawelsky, Tamarack Habilitation Technologies, ENGO Patches; www.goengo.com

Last week I successfully completed the Racing the Planet: Australia 2010, 250K race. It is the first time that I have completed a race of this distance, and having read your book really helped make the race a truly enjoyable experience. Of the 185 starting competitors, only 118 completed the race, and most competitors had a lot of problems with blisters from the first day. I truly believe that if I had not read Fixing Your Feet three months prior to the event, I would have been exactly in the same position. Instead I managed to complete the week with feet in great conditionand not a single blister.