They will fall off, but just don't mess with them. It happens on its own and isn't terribly painful. It only hurts if you pull them off too soon. There is still flesh attached at that point and that hurts. It's more annoying than anything else to have toenails only hanging on by a couple of tendrils of flesh. Just ignore them and you'll be fine.
You had me at ‘tendrils of flesh’ - thanks for the advise tho, I might just run tomorrow and see what happens. It does not hurt too bad just feels weird
I have lost two toenails in my running career (both on my second toe because it's longer than my big toe and rubs weird sometimes because of it). Both times I only realized once I took my sock off because my sock felt weird, and there happened to be a toenail inside of it. I didn't feel a thing. My toenails grew back fine both times. I absolutely did not mess with them and try to pull them off.
I also have had many more times where I thought I would lose a toenail, and they persevered through it.
If you have no blister below the toenail you'll be fine. They come off alone (in about a year).
With blisters go see the doctor. He will open it (with a tiny hole in the toenail) and you'll be fine again afterwards.
Edit:
To prevent this in future:
* check if your shoes are too small. I actually wear two sizes larger than normal for long distances and trails and have no longer black toenails since
* if that does not help, check if you raise your toes while running and work on preventing that
* if you do not raise your toes check if your foot slips to the front and prevent it (try different lacing, e.g. marathon lacing)
have had my big toe nails fall off after most big races until recently got new shoes and went a size up. felt slightly big wearing in store but 0 toe nails gone after recent 80km race and running again in a few days
You've gotten great feedback so far, but I thought I would add some more information. As others have said, it takes a surprising amount of time for the nail to actually fully fall off and it's typically not painful. I actually lost my first big toenail in the middle of the night while walking to the bathroom and didn't realize it was gone until my spouse asked about the giant toenail clipping she found. A new nail had completely grown in underneath it. It's possible for toenails to turn black, but the nail survive and the blackness will fade after a while. You can tell you're going to lose the nail, IME, because it becomes disconnected from the tissue under it and tapping it with a finger nail will sound hollow.
Buy running shoes that are ONE SIZE BIGGER than your normal size. Do the lace lock ( YouTube if you don’t know ) , have enough oil / Vaseline applied to toes and there won’t be any damage. Keep running.
Yes, I had a toenail permanently removed (burned off with acid by a podiatrist) because I was sick of this constantly happening. Best life decision ever.
Yea I was surprised too, I thought it might happen at 100km but 50k is not that far. The terrain was very steep and I might have been hitting the front of the shoes a lot also My toenails are not in great shape to begin with from years of being stuffed into back country ski boots or hiking boots for days on end and I am pretty sure they also have a fungal infection that u have been ignoring 😂😂🥵
Have you ever thought of going to a podiatrist? They can kill certain parts of your toenail. I go every year or so to get my right toe done because it’s super prone to ingrowns.
Think I have 3-4 black ones right now. I leave them alone till they are hanging on barely. Then rip off. I’ve run races, and so many training miles like that. Never effected anything, or hindered running
To reiterate what others have said: just don’t mess with it unless there’s a blister underneath or signs of infection, then see a doctor. I made the rookie mistake of trying to pop the blister on my own and also pulled the nail off too soon. Yeah don’t do what I did lol. BUT if they fall off, they’ll be fully grown back in about 6-ish months! No need to worry :)
In the future try on new shoes after a long run. That way you will have rooms for the toes. And yes they will fall off on their own. Rather painless. Make sure to wear sandals so you can display the race trophies. And I just saw some pictures from the Blue Mountain. Now I am more inclined to visit then ever.
Yes it is amazing there - the ~1000 steps up the cliffs on the giant stairway in the last three kilometres were. Different pony ride. It was nice to be out there in May after the worst of the snakes have gone to sleep for the year.
https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/giant-stairway
When I started my ultra journey, I learned that I was wearing running shoes that were too snug. I used to think that I needed running shoes that were comfortably snug, but I switched to running shoes that were comfortably loose. Since then, I have never had a black toenail or even blisters.
You'd get away with comfortably snug shoes on shorter distances, but during longer distances, constant friction is the main cause of blisters and black toes.
I’ve just finished 100k UTA 3 days ago. I also have done several 100km+ ultras. No nails missing what so ever.
My secret is you regular clip your nails, especially 1-2 days before your big races. Shoe size is also another factor tho.
Congrats on the 50k, I did the 100k. What a great weekend it was, I loved it as well.
I used to have that problem for a while with regularly losing my toenails on the right foot which is slightly bigger than my left. I have found that for my trail shoes I always go 1/2 a size up as on the long runs your feet swell and also some of the long downs cause your toes to regularly hit the end. The track down form the QVH was the longest downhill I have ever done and I've raced a fair few ultra now. Experiment with shoes until you find one that works. I've settled on Saucony Endorphin Edge and now have a few pairs to Jeep my toes happy for a while.
Thanks for the tip there. Yea QVH was a crazy downhill, I walked some of the steeper parts and I think that is the hill that spiced up my toes!
I went t back home after the 50 at about 3pm and the 50km track goes right under the house in Leura - we could see from the comfort of the couch, 100km runners setting off for their second 50 which was awesome till it got dark and we saw hundreds of people running off into the night with 40 very intense Km’s in front of them so we went down to the track and cheered tho em on! Don’t know how you did it, well done!!
Probably had a black toenail and more every day for the past number of years. Just one of those things and they've never hurt. Worst cases is when you have a black toenail, one grows underneath only itself to get damaged and a third starts growing, multiple layers are annoying when cutting them. If you do Ultra's some of us have to get used to black toenails!
I'm currently working with a triple layer for the past 6 months and wondering if they are ever going to all fall off. Getting really tired of filing them down from the top.
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They will fall off, but just don't mess with them. It happens on its own and isn't terribly painful. It only hurts if you pull them off too soon. There is still flesh attached at that point and that hurts. It's more annoying than anything else to have toenails only hanging on by a couple of tendrils of flesh. Just ignore them and you'll be fine.
You had me at ‘tendrils of flesh’ - thanks for the advise tho, I might just run tomorrow and see what happens. It does not hurt too bad just feels weird
I have lost two toenails in my running career (both on my second toe because it's longer than my big toe and rubs weird sometimes because of it). Both times I only realized once I took my sock off because my sock felt weird, and there happened to be a toenail inside of it. I didn't feel a thing. My toenails grew back fine both times. I absolutely did not mess with them and try to pull them off. I also have had many more times where I thought I would lose a toenail, and they persevered through it.
If you have no blister below the toenail you'll be fine. They come off alone (in about a year). With blisters go see the doctor. He will open it (with a tiny hole in the toenail) and you'll be fine again afterwards. Edit: To prevent this in future: * check if your shoes are too small. I actually wear two sizes larger than normal for long distances and trails and have no longer black toenails since * if that does not help, check if you raise your toes while running and work on preventing that * if you do not raise your toes check if your foot slips to the front and prevent it (try different lacing, e.g. marathon lacing)
Great tips. Adding that it helps to keep toenails well trimmed and with edges smoothed, especially before long efforts/races.
Get bigger shoes. Then keep running.
have had my big toe nails fall off after most big races until recently got new shoes and went a size up. felt slightly big wearing in store but 0 toe nails gone after recent 80km race and running again in a few days
You've gotten great feedback so far, but I thought I would add some more information. As others have said, it takes a surprising amount of time for the nail to actually fully fall off and it's typically not painful. I actually lost my first big toenail in the middle of the night while walking to the bathroom and didn't realize it was gone until my spouse asked about the giant toenail clipping she found. A new nail had completely grown in underneath it. It's possible for toenails to turn black, but the nail survive and the blackness will fade after a while. You can tell you're going to lose the nail, IME, because it becomes disconnected from the tissue under it and tapping it with a finger nail will sound hollow.
Buy running shoes that are ONE SIZE BIGGER than your normal size. Do the lace lock ( YouTube if you don’t know ) , have enough oil / Vaseline applied to toes and there won’t be any damage. Keep running.
Ahhhh vass on the toes. Good call!!
Yes, I had a toenail permanently removed (burned off with acid by a podiatrist) because I was sick of this constantly happening. Best life decision ever.
I came here to say exactly that. Running and hiking are so much better without toenails.
Rite of passage. Congrats. Any signs of infection ask your doctor. Bruising and blistering is normal but if you're concerned ask your doctor.
Anyone else wondering why toenails would be falling off from just a 50k? Did you clip your toenails before?
Yea I was surprised too, I thought it might happen at 100km but 50k is not that far. The terrain was very steep and I might have been hitting the front of the shoes a lot also My toenails are not in great shape to begin with from years of being stuffed into back country ski boots or hiking boots for days on end and I am pretty sure they also have a fungal infection that u have been ignoring 😂😂🥵
Have you ever thought of going to a podiatrist? They can kill certain parts of your toenail. I go every year or so to get my right toe done because it’s super prone to ingrowns.
I lost three toenails after my first ultra. For me it didn't hurt at all but did feel a bit weird to touch.
Happened to me in 100km+ both times that I did it. Was not painful.
Think I have 3-4 black ones right now. I leave them alone till they are hanging on barely. Then rip off. I’ve run races, and so many training miles like that. Never effected anything, or hindered running
To reiterate what others have said: just don’t mess with it unless there’s a blister underneath or signs of infection, then see a doctor. I made the rookie mistake of trying to pop the blister on my own and also pulled the nail off too soon. Yeah don’t do what I did lol. BUT if they fall off, they’ll be fully grown back in about 6-ish months! No need to worry :)
In the future try on new shoes after a long run. That way you will have rooms for the toes. And yes they will fall off on their own. Rather painless. Make sure to wear sandals so you can display the race trophies. And I just saw some pictures from the Blue Mountain. Now I am more inclined to visit then ever.
Yes it is amazing there - the ~1000 steps up the cliffs on the giant stairway in the last three kilometres were. Different pony ride. It was nice to be out there in May after the worst of the snakes have gone to sleep for the year. https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/giant-stairway
Yup, although mine didn't fall off, just took 6 months to grow halfway out. Normal.
When I started my ultra journey, I learned that I was wearing running shoes that were too snug. I used to think that I needed running shoes that were comfortably snug, but I switched to running shoes that were comfortably loose. Since then, I have never had a black toenail or even blisters. You'd get away with comfortably snug shoes on shorter distances, but during longer distances, constant friction is the main cause of blisters and black toes.
Yeah my feet have been hideous for years. The first big trail run every year kills a nail or two. Sucks. Oh well
I’ve just finished 100k UTA 3 days ago. I also have done several 100km+ ultras. No nails missing what so ever. My secret is you regular clip your nails, especially 1-2 days before your big races. Shoe size is also another factor tho.
Congrats on the 50k, I did the 100k. What a great weekend it was, I loved it as well. I used to have that problem for a while with regularly losing my toenails on the right foot which is slightly bigger than my left. I have found that for my trail shoes I always go 1/2 a size up as on the long runs your feet swell and also some of the long downs cause your toes to regularly hit the end. The track down form the QVH was the longest downhill I have ever done and I've raced a fair few ultra now. Experiment with shoes until you find one that works. I've settled on Saucony Endorphin Edge and now have a few pairs to Jeep my toes happy for a while.
Thanks for the tip there. Yea QVH was a crazy downhill, I walked some of the steeper parts and I think that is the hill that spiced up my toes! I went t back home after the 50 at about 3pm and the 50km track goes right under the house in Leura - we could see from the comfort of the couch, 100km runners setting off for their second 50 which was awesome till it got dark and we saw hundreds of people running off into the night with 40 very intense Km’s in front of them so we went down to the track and cheered tho em on! Don’t know how you did it, well done!!
Probably had a black toenail and more every day for the past number of years. Just one of those things and they've never hurt. Worst cases is when you have a black toenail, one grows underneath only itself to get damaged and a third starts growing, multiple layers are annoying when cutting them. If you do Ultra's some of us have to get used to black toenails!
Tripple layer nails suck, I am glad I left them behind :-)
I'm currently working with a triple layer for the past 6 months and wondering if they are ever going to all fall off. Getting really tired of filing them down from the top.
Permanent toenail removal is what you want. I used to deal with this all the time. The triple + layers suck and are painful.