The Journey of Jordan Torrey

"You will never run again."

How many times have we, as runners, heard of this diagnosis from doctors in stories told to us by friends or read in magazines? How many times has it sent shivers down your spine to think about a day when it would be impossible for you to run?




I often get asked by people I have met at expos or parties or where ever else why I run what I do (or did, in the case of the 52 Marathons in 2006). Sometimes people want a lengthy detailed answer filled with inspiration and tales of how I have overcome huge obstacles to get where I have. Unfortunately for those looking for that soundbite, I was never obese looking for a way to lose weight, did not lose a parent to cancer and was moved to raise money via a marathon and got hooked on running or anything else of that ilk. Sometimes, and rarely that is, people accept what is really the only true and short answer I can give: "Because I can."

My father was crippled in a hunting accident right before I was born. As such, I have never and will never run with him. When I say I run because I can, I do not say it tritely. I need to look no further than my immediate family for reasons "why". However, for some, that choice of just running because they can has almost been taken away from them.

I met Jordan Torrey at the Dallas White Rock Marathon expo in 2008. She gave me a thumbnail sketch of her harrowing experiences that day and we talked for quite some time.



Over the next few months we exchanged emails and I learned more of her journey. As an important milestone approaches for her, I think it is important that I share her story with you (with her own words in quotes.)

"The first time my back 'went out' I was 10 years old. But it was never an issue and I played sports and loved them with every ounce of my being. Sports were a huge part of my identity. So, in November 2004 I didn’t think much about it when my back started hurting a bit. But this time it didn’t go away."

A few months later, while vacuuming, Jordan suddenly couldn't walk. She crawled to the bathtub, drew a bath and had to wait for her boyfriend to come over to help her. The pain and stiffness subsided some but was ever-present. In college at the time, she could not sit in class, so she had to lean against a wall in every class otherwise her back would spasm. She then sought medical attention. The first three doctors she went to ended up telling her the same thing: she had major disc degeneration and would be absolutely crazy to continue running.

"They wanted to do surgery, but I refused and instead went through physical therapy. I went 3 months, 2 weeks, and 3 days without running. I resumed running, much to the dismay of the doctors. Every few months it would flare up, usually during something completely calm, like sitting in a restaurant (FYI, trying to stand up straight during a flare by stretching and laying on a public bathroom floor is disgusting and I would highly recommend against it)."

Jordan's flare-ups would usually consist of a few days of not being able to walk, followed by weeks of not being able to stand up straight. She eventually discovered it was not just the discs that were degenerating but also bones too. On top of that, an old fracture that never healed was revealed through further examination. She had no idea how the fracture occurred but the bone chip was floating around in her back.

"They said that because of the trauma, the muscles would spasm, then eventually, they just permanently spasmed and stayed that way, for up to months at a time. Because of all that, my body responded by forming calcium deposits around my spine. I was told I would absolutely never run again. "

Jordan pressed on, beginning her training for a sprint triathlon.



One night, she could not move her neck. The degeneration had moved to her entire spine. Now, even breathing was hard.

"The neck and trapezoid muscles spasming are just as bad as the lower back – it messes with my ribs, so in order to breathe without hurting, I have to do some contortionist-esque moves to allow my ribs and lungs to expand."

Here she was, a 22-year old athlete, who had to come to grips with the fact that she needed people to help her fix food or even go to the bathroom. On top of everything else, as she is allergic to many opiate pain-killers, like codeine, this entire ordeal had to be handled without pain killers or muscle relaxers of any kind.

Still feeling sorry for yourself because your too-busy lifestyle keeps you from running? Keep reading.

In April 2008, Jordan was playing basketball when she landed on her heels instead of her toes – immediately causing her back to spasm. After somehow getting home, she found she could not walk at all. She could not move her legs or crawl – or move. Living alone, she had to literally drag herself down the hallway every time she needed to use the restroom or get something to drink.

"This was the most humbling few days of my life. This time, the pain never really went away and for 8 months I could not stand very straight. If I stood still, I had to hold myself up. About this time, I met you at the White Rock Marathon Expo. I ran/walked the 5K with students I worked with, and thought that maybe I would never get to go further than a 5K again."

Jordan than decided to try and remedy the situation for good. Going from doctor to doctor searching for one that would not only tell her she would run again, but that they would not need to both fuse her lumbar vertebrae, then later some cervical vertebrae, she finally found someone who believed in her.

"I find one and went through 6 months of intensive physical rehab. This consisted of chiropractic care, lots and lots of physical therapy, myofascial release massage, and some other massage so deep and so painful it almost made me want to puke, among many other things. I had to quit my job which was 1.5 hours from the closest spine doctor (plus sitting still induces spasming), and lived off COBRA to get it done. For the first time in years, I felt normal – I could move and twist and run without hurting. I could sit and jump and not feel my vertebrae grinding against each other."

Throughout her ordeal, dating back to college, she was told repeatedly not to run. But to Jordan, the simple act of running was what got her through it all.



"This whole experience was, and still is, a game of acceptance, perseverance, and hope. Running was the hope – the kind of hope that you hold on to so tightly that any other outcome is not even possible because you don’t let it play out in your mind."

She has had only one flare-up since she completed rehab and as soon she she could stand it got back to running afterward. If she could not actually do the physical act of running she did everything else that reminded her of why she was going through all of this. She put her mind to thinking about potential races and goals that she wanted to complete. She walked when she could not run. She drew inspiration from other runners and the running community itself.

"It is Runner’s World magazine, Ironman reruns, or books like yours that allows me to put one foot in front of the other, no matter how slow. Runners are a different breed of people – we don’t give up when there are obstacles in our way."

Well, Jordan is about to hurdle one more obstacle. She has signed up for the half-marathon at the Dallas White Rock Marathon, on December 13th. She has faced down adversity that would stop may more dead in their tracks. She has said that she has no doubt that not only will she complete this half but also the ultimate goal of a full Ironman triathlon. Why?

"Because that is the only outcome my mind knows."

Jordan I can only hope I am on-hand to witness you crossing that finishline. I would wish you luck but your spirit is all you need.