- All About 75 Hard.
- The ultrarunning legend suffered severe injuries to his left leg when he fell on a trail in 2015.
It was May 2015 when Dave Mackey, on a run he’d done hundreds of times, Lightweight, excellent traction with softer, grippier outsole, very breathable on top of 8,500-foot Bear Peak near his home in Boulder, Colorado. That’s when the loose rock gave way under his feet. After falling 50 feet down the mountainside, an estimated 300-pound rock landed on his left leg, crushing the bones and skin. A friend, out for his own run, heard Mackey’s yelling and called 911.
Health - Injuries part of Mackey’s story. The winner of numerous ultras and trail races soon had to make the tough decision to amputate his leg, but his journey forward with the sport he loves was featured in a new documentary short released this week.
The film, produced by Nine Mind and Billy Yang Films with the support of Mackey’s sponsors Altra and Camelbak, opens with members of the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group lowering him down the mountain. He was taken to Boulder Community Hospital and later a specialty hospital in Denver.
Mackey began the long road to recovery, including 13 surgeries, to try and mend his leg. The rock had caused so much damage to the bone and skin that he repeatedly suffered infections that prevented the leg from healing properly. While he was able to get around with a cane or walker, Mackey came to the conclusion that if he wanted to run again, amputation was going to give him his best shot.
The filmmakers followed Mackey through his procedure, seeing what it is like to come to terms with losing a limb and his shifting perspective on running and competition.
“Being an athlete was an important part of who I was. I was still winning races, finishing top in races, and so that part’s gone,” Mackey says in the film. He considers himself lucky that the rock chose his leg and he avoided greater injury.
As he progresses through his recovery, Mackey shows how he has regained the life he loves, and the film also explores how focusing on small steps forward can help you build up to accomplishing your goals.
Dave Mackey's Race Gear
Camelbak Ultra Pro Vest
Waterproof and breathable, also folds and stores easily
