May 2007

Long-term marathon runner and triathlete Peter Woodburn, 39, completed the London marathon in 2 hours 43 minutes – a fantastic achievement – and due in no small measure to the comfort, flexibility and lightness of new foot orthoses from Össur.

“They are just great,” said a triumphant Peter post-race, who has been wearing orthoses for about 12 years to improve his gait. 

“They give me the opportunity to train harder, avoid injury and perform better. I really did not think I would do that well and they undoubtedly helped.”

Peter, who lives in Southfields, South London, was delighted to get so close to the 2 hours 41 min time he posted in the Amsterdam Marathon last Autumn in spite of warm conditions.

“It was very hot, but it was ok. The lovely weather brought lots of spectators out which created a great atmosphere. I had a small amount of blistering at the end – who didn’t – but nothing was going to slow me down.”

The multi-density high-performance orthoses were fitted by senior orthotist Serena Stubbs at Össur’s Technology in Motion centre in Wimbledon. She has been treating Peter for the last two years.

“Peter self-referred after several frustrating years of not finding the right kind of support. We gave him a bio-mechanical assessment, analysed his gait – both walking and running – and created this custom-made functional orthotic especially for his running needs. He also has a set for walking.”

“He had a history of various injuries, but was a committed athlete and we wanted to find him a solution,” continued Serena. “His performance at the London Marathon is terrific.”

Peter added, “I am very grateful for the help I’ve received from Serena and Össur in improving and updating my orthoses over the last couple of years."