Toenails.. Who Needs Them?

Things we don't need anymore: wisdom teeth, appendix, body hair and now - toenails. What? Toenails?

It's the new trend among some of the most extreme utlramarathoners now numbering more than 17,000 nationwide according to UltraRunning Magazine. I can feel their pain. Nothing is more annoying then having a bruised big toe nail running up and down a basketball court. Imagine running more than 26.2 miles with a bruised toe nail banging against the front of your running shoe.

So some of these ultramarathoners have chosen to have acid poured onto their nail beds for permanent removal in a NY Times article featuring this subgroup of marathoners. Dr. Robert M. Conenello, a sports podiatrist said, “A lot of them look at their toenails as useless appendages, remnants of claws from evolutionary times long ago. I’ve heard them say, ‘Toenails are dead weight.’”

But these marathon runners aren't alone as they receive criticism for being athletic freaks and participating in a sport that has been gaining attention for being harmful to the body.

Despite some studies reporting 90% of those who train for the 26.2-mile race sustain injuries in the process, last year in the United States, 425,000 marathoners crossed the finish line, an increase of 20 percent from the beginning of the decade, Running USA said in article titled "The Human Body is Built for Distance."

Even articles such as "Are you Running Yourself to Death" aren't enough to deter some of these runners, especially the ones without toe nails.

In a 2001 study published in the American Journal of Cardiology, Dr. Siegel and his colleagues analyzed the blood of marathoners less than 24 hours after a race and found high levels of inflammatory and coagulation markers that are also associated with heart attacks.

In a 2006 Circulation study, led by Dr. Wood using ultrasounds and blood tests of 60 marathon finishers, the researchers found that after the race, some runners' hearts experienced difficulty refilling chambers. The researchers also noticed abnormalities in how blood was pumped from the right side of the heart to the lungs.

But others argue that the human body was born to run, and commercialization of races and overzealous training is what has linked injuries to running. First, a study in the journal of Sports Medicine made the case that endurance running played an important role in our evolution. We may not be faster than other animals, but we can outrun almost any animal because we sweat to cool off rather than pant.

Other evolutionary advantages were found as well such as our shorter toes allow for more efficient running, and the gluteus maximus - the largest muscle in the human body - is only engaged primarily during running.

For myself, I think I'll continue to run to stay in shape - and cut my toenails with a nail clipper.