Cory Foulk, Bose Hippy, Runs Marathon 3 months post op, then competes in multiple Ironman & Ultraman Triathlons
Hip Resurfacing with Dr. Bose, December 21, 2005

"100% I honestly feel stronger, faster and am fitter than I have been in over ten years."  Cory Foulk, April 5, 2009

Read Cory's Articles on Running 

October 16, 2009 Update

June 21, 2009 Update

Cory posted this on the Arthritis blog, I am adding it to his story with his permission:

"Total Hips Versus Surface Replacement:  The Fight Of The Decade "
Dr. K -

Certainly there is a case for the total hip, just as there is one for a Resurfaced Hip. The patient populations are significantly different, the procedures significantly different. More importantly I believe the patient expectations to be very different.

Were I to have followed the standard and highly developed course of treatment in my condition (AVN / degenerative joint disease onset at 38 years of age) as recommended by many of the United States top orthopedic surgeons (my airfares far exceeded the surgeon consultation fees), I would have been on pain management medication with a very limited activity profile still, twelve years later. Thank goodness I would have been nearing the age by now (12 years later) when a radical surgeon would have just "throw out the rules" and given me a THR.

Instead, after a lot of research and years of study, I had my hip resurfaced three years ago. Instead of suffering for another three years, I have instead completed 8 Ironman Distance Triathlons, 5 Ultraman Distance Triathlons, 3 Ultramarathon runs, 3 marathon runs, and an Ultracycling race. My resurfaced hip functions well, I can leg press 625 pounds for reps, do full squats and run a sub-16 minute 5k. I have participated in chromium ion studies with blood draws and so on before during and after events, and have worked with a number of resurfacing and total hip patients. I am happy to have my life back. I have survived a major post-op cycle crash and had no injury to the resurfaced hip, no femoral neck fracture. I am the fellow who ran a marathon at 89 days post-op, and I have a fellow resurfacing patient who ran one at 4 months. neither of us suffered any more than one would normally suffer in a marathon, and neither of us has a long term debilitating failure.

I too have spoken before the AAOS and many surgical groups large and small. I believe the mistake here is that perhaps of an application to the wrong patient group - you comparing apples to oranges in other words. Certainly an orange will make better orange juice hands down, just as an apple will make better apple juice. I am very pleased to find myself in a more informed and demanding patient group (as the response to your ditty seems to indicate) than your profession has ever experienced, and I can see how daunting it must be for surgeons today to have to back their positions with real data as opposed to manufacturer hand-outs (which seems to be where most of your information came from) and bluster.

For me, I would suggest to anyone who suffers that there is a procedure that is right for you, whether it is a total hip or a total resurfacing. Find the best one for your case, and find the surgeon who best hears your expectations.

Bon viv!

Dr. William C. "Cory" Foulk"

December 11, 2008 Update
On November 30, 2008 Cory Foulk finished his Lifetime 17th Ultraman, 5th since his hip resurfacing surgery on 12/21/05, holding strong to his title of 2nd most Ultraman finishes in the world and earning the title of 2nd in the world for his age group.  See below for the details of an Ultraman course which is about double an Ironman.

Cory has finished 41 Ironman’s to date, 8 since his surgery and in Cory’s own words, "this hip is unbelievable."

November 2008 (almost 3 years post op and the hip still PERFORMS!)

"Less than three years post-op i finished my fifth ultraman distance event. here i am at mile 39 of the 52 mile run component. my pacer is a hippy of a different stripe; she had her piriformis removed in santa monica 10 months prior, and has qualified for and finished the ironman world championships in october. jeff jensen (BHR hippy) ran fifteen miles with me just prior to this. he is an ironman and is less than a year post-op and loving his return to sport.

the cycle photo is during the same ultraman event, this is about mile 120 of the 260 mile bike, in full smith and nephew livery. it is in the 40's temp wise here. too hot to run 52 miles in this attire. the temp where the run photo is taken is in the low 100's!"

October 11, 2007
Cory Foulk - Ironman World Championship in Hawaii this weekend!

For many who get the chance to even compete at this prestigious event (it is by invitation only), this is the ultimate competition. For Cory Foulk, it is just another fun filled day to get some miles in as training for the Ultraman World Championships in November.

Ultraman Live

This weekend will be Cory’s 41st Ironman competition, this being his 13th Ironman World Championship and his 5th Ironman finish since his hip resurfacing surgery on December 21, 2005 by Dr. Vijay Bose.

To give you an idea of the differences between them, take a look at the distances for the Olympics, then the Ironman, then the Ultraman!

In triathlon, there are basically four distances:

1.) Olympic Distance
Swim .9 miles
Bike 25 miles
Run 6.2 miles

2.) Long Course or 70.2
Swim 1.2 miles
Bike 56 miles
Run 13.1 miles

3.) Ironman
Swim 2.4 miles
Bike 112 miles
Run 26.2 miles

4.) Ultraman
Swim 6.2 miles
Bike 260.1 miles
Run 52.4 miles

Can you imagine anyone swimming 6.2 miles, let alone bike and run those distances after??? Yikes!

Here are some details about how difficult it is to get into these events and compete.

Ultraman world's is by invitation only. Every year they choose the top athletes from those that apply based on their performance in the past years events. they are then extended an invitation to compete." —Cory

From those that accept there is usually a 60% finish rate. 40% of those that accept do not make the distance, much less compete for the fastest finishing time in their division.

 Photo: on right you can see Cory's scar on his right hip from his BHR

Ironman worlds is the culmination of the years Ironman distance events worldwide, with the top finishers in each age group from 20 different races around the world coming to Kona to compete to see who is best at that distance. out of 20,000 who are racing worldwide specifically for a slot in the Ironman worlds each year, there are only 1600 who make it. Ironman world's has a finish rate of around 92%, as everybody has finished an Ironman in top position already that year making the distance is not a deal."

Cory is 2nd in the world for Ultraman finishes.

http://www.realendurance.com/AllTimeList.php?a=UMHI&c=280#Finishes
(Click on the All Time List)

[More people climb mount Everest each year than have ever finished an Ultraman in 23 years total - it is difficult to finish].

In his current division at the Ultraman World Championships (male, 45-49) he has placed 1st twice, and second twice in four starts.

He placed third overall at Ultraman Canada last month and second overall at Ironman revisited in August 2007 with his resurfaced hip!

http://www.ultramancanada.com/html/2007.html

http://www.challengedathletes.org/compete/Ironman2007Results.htm

Absolutely amazing! Cory deserves an applaud for his efforts and it is great that he will speaking at the Miami Ortho conference to help educate the surgeons that running, is possible on these bionic hips of ours.

Hot out? You have to be kidding! After swimming 2.4 miles in the mediterrainian, then biking 112 miles through the alps, we did a marathon on the cote d'azure that was just unbelievably hot. Having fun yet, doctor?

Up the alps. We biked inland six miles up a river valley, then turned and climbed 5000 feet up a ridge in the next twenty miles. Just up and up and up....

That is the operated leg toward the camera, you can see how the muscle development came back and the flexibility. Excellent!

Yes, I am smiling. It is one of those kind of smiles though, like, "wow, what was that all about?" things.

Cory Ironman
July 23, 2006

Hi Everyone,

I just heard from Cory. The hip held up beautifully but the unexpected rain made for a dangerously slick and challenging course during the bike ride over the cobblestone roads. Cory did not stay hydrated enough during the cycle challenge and when the sun returned during the run, heat exhaustion took over due to dehydration. He made it through six miles then stopped at the medical tent for a professional opinion, they iced him down and he drank water for about half an hour. He got back into the race for another two miles then had to stop. I hope he does not mind that I post his words below, because to me, they are beautiful words for those of us who can appreciate being whole again after the wonders of resurfacing. I think Cory deserves a big congratulations for raising the bar and showing what is possible in the world of resurfacing. Here are his own words about the experience and his new hip:

"The hip - well, I wouldn't have had the chance if I hadn't undergone a brilliant surgery at the hands of vijay bose. absolutely no pain; my cycling position requires that my knee rise up to my chest (to the mid-point of my upper arm) 100 times per minute while under load - for six hours! are you nuts? doing that has just been a dream for the past 5 years; longer in fact. geez. I was totally amazed.

When you train, you never really get down in that 'aero' position and stay there all morning. you do it for a while, then you sit up and take a drink, or look at the coastline, or watch traffic, or whatever. then back down. during a race, you just get down and go, and sit back up at the end. unless somebody goes into the hay bails in front of you and you need to evade, you just stay tucked in the whole time.

I fully expected to get off the bike and be stuck bent over! I had that happen a couple of times : ) 'joe super-athlete' - there you are, all bent over walking around like groucho marx : )

That never happened. I was totally loose and ready to go when I got off - now, for those of us with former hip problems, let me say it this way "I was totally fine when I stopped, and swung my leg off the bike, easily clearing the seat and back wheel"...other people would not understand that. you would. just to be able to swing your leg up and over something is such a blessing!"

We are all truly blessed to have found resurfacing and I think Cory is amazing. To enter an Iron man Triathlon at 7 months and 2 days post op and the hip worked like a normal hip should. :-) Cory will be back in action when he enters the original Iron man in Honolulu Hawaii on August 13.

Open your eyes all you uninformed OS out there and take a look at the possibilities resurfacing has to offer. Now if only we can get this information into the hands of Floyd Landis, the world would be a better place for those of us that suffer from AVN/OA.

Vicky
LBHR Dr. Bose Dec 01 05

Don't Try This at Home, Bose Hippy runs marathon at under 3 months post op
March 20, 2006
Cory Foulk, some of you remember him as Dr. William Foulk, ran a Marathon yesterday.

http://www.hilomarathon.com/index.php?content=home

The guy is absolutely amazing. He had his hip resurfaced by Dr. Bose on December 21, less then three months ago.

He started running at 3 1/2 weeks post op building up to 10 mile stretches at six weeks post op. Here is a quote from an email I got from Cory this morning:

Tomorrow is my three month anniversary, I went under the knife at 8:30 a.m. on the 21st of December. and yesterday, I ran a marathon - 26.2 miles; finished, got a medal, a shirt, and a pair of really soggy shoes, unreal. The hip just totally performed." —Cory

He ran the distance, made the cut off with plenty to spare and didn't hurt himself. He is just a little stiff this morning but didn't even need any aspirin or ibuprofen. Absolutely amazing. I would not recommend this to anyone else to try, but it sure is nice to see that anything REALLY IS possible with our new resurfaced hips. Congratulations Cory!!

Vicky
LBHR Dr. Bose 12/01/05

In 1996 Cory Foulk  wheeled in his 61-pound monstrosity towards the Ironman World Championship bike corral, every eye in the house was on him.  Read below how Cory finished an Ironman competition on a Typhoon Beach Cruiser not to mention the tie-dyed Speedo and the Fred Kahuna Aloha Shirt that he raced in.  So why did he go retro at Ironman? Cory loves the sport and lives on the Big Island, but he felt that triathletes and the event had gotten a little too serious.

“I just wanted to go out there and have a little fun,” he says.  And he did.  After coming out of the water, he started
making up some serious ground. When you’ve got a 61-pound neon yellow beast with one gear, you’re forced to work pretty hard on the uphills. But those downhills are SWEET!  He did the bike ride, believe it or not, barefoot.

The total cost for the bike was $15… with the basket.  "It cost me more for the three cans of spray paint it took to cover the bike,” he insists. He also had rainbow straws put on the bike spokes to add just a hint of color along with streamers
coming out the end of the handlebars and the foam flames attached to his helmet.

Back then,” he says, “I wanted to prove that you don’t need ten grand to do the Ironman.” A big smile.  All you need is some sunscreen, a little spray paint and a really cheap bike.” 

See full article here

Leg Length Issue Pre-Op
22mm leg length difference corrected by Dr. Bose during Hip Resurfacing Surgery

Pre-op shoes: The top shoe [right side] has a 12.5mm lift full length. I was wearing a 6mm lift inside as well to help make up the leg length difference. I used a pair with (2) 12.5mm sole lifts stacked and no insole lift for the final Ultraman event before surgery. They are on display at the local cobbler's shop.

Pre-op shoes rear view: Don't know why the right shoe is left in the picture, but you can see the sole lift form the rear. This made a lot of difference in how much pain i was in as well as how my stride looked and worked. I think these lifted shoes helped more than most things to keep me in action. My massage therapist was of the idea that the lifted shoes may have rotated the cysts out of the impact area or partially out.

I also had a machinist make me an aluminum billet lift for my right cycling cleat. It was hollowed out and very nicely done, allowing a 12.5 mm lift with little weight or complication.

Post Op Performance Running by Cory Foulk

Jogging and Returning to Impact Sports by Cork Foulk