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Woman Trains To Complete Ultra Marathon, One Tree Branch Changes It All
0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. An athlete taking part in an epic ultramarathon in the mountains was excited to get underway after months of training, only to experience a freak accident two miles in that could change her life for years to come.
For Elissa Simpson, 28, fitness is not just a hobby, it is an integral part of her life. Over the years, she has competed in numerous HYROX events, triathlons, and even a team Ultrabalaton, but 2026 would mark her biggest challenge yet. Simpson, from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, spent months training for the Monte Rosa WalserWaeg Ultra that took place in Italy on July 17.
As the race rolled round, Simpson told Newsweek that she was in "the best shape" of her life. She felt excited and well prepared for the event, which would see her run 75 miles (122 kilometers) through the Alps and climb 8,000 meters (26,200 feet) of elevation.
"It was a huge challenge, but that was exactly why I wanted to do it," Simpson said. "I knew it was going to be a long 30 hours in the mountains, so I wasn’t racing the beginning aggressively."
While the race started well, everything changed at the 2.4-mile (4-kilometer) mark.
Simpson tripped over a branch and, as she tried to catch herself with her right leg, she instantly heard "a huge pop" in her hip. She did not think much of it at first, especially as she barely even had a scratch from the actual fall. Simpson believed she could walk it off, but, as soon as she tried to run again, it was clear that the injury was much worse.
She said: "I had so much adrenaline running through me that I didn’t think much of it. I remember telling my friend to keep running and that I’d catch up with him. But I managed about two steps, and as soon as I lifted my right leg to run, I heard another pop. That’s when the pain really hit.
"I wasn’t far from some race staff directing runners. Getting to them was only a few minutes, but even walking with my poles was incredibly painful. It wasn’t until the race staff convinced me that I needed an ambulance that I finally accepted my race was over."
Simpson was transferred to a hospital in Aosta, Italy, for scans and further assessment. Nevertheless, she still did not think the injury was that bad and was hoping to be back on her feet shortly after.
However, the orthopedic doctor at the hospital revealed that Simpson had fractured the posterior wall of her acetabulum, which forms part of the hip socket. They believed that Simpson likely dislocated her hip as she fell over the branch, and then it popped back into place, causing the damage.
Simpson returned home to Amsterdam for more medical attention, and doctors concluded that surgery was required to stabilize the fracture. The four-hour surgery to piece the fractured bone together was successful, but the extent of the injury was much greater than previously thought.
"A significant amount of cartilage had been badly damaged, and a lot of it had to be removed," Simpson said. "The fracture was repaired, but cartilage doesn’t simply grow back in the same way.
"I’ve been told that the damage puts me at increased risk of post-traumatic arthritis and I may require a hip replacement at some point. Nobody can tell me when or exactly how my hip will respond over time, so that is the biggest uncertainty."
Despite the grueling injury and the ongoing recovery, Simpson remains incredibly optimistic.
Following the surgery , she cannot put weight on her right leg for 12 weeks, so she is confined to crutches and a wheelchair. Nonetheless, Simpson is grateful for the strength that all her training has provided, as it means she can still move and transfer in and out of her wheelchair independently.
Once she can put weight on her leg, Simpson will undergo months of physiotherapy and rehabilitation to rebuild her mobility. It is undoubtedly a long road ahead, but Simpson is hopeful that she can return to competing one day.
She has been documenting her recovery on social media (@elissa__vs on Instagram) as she hopes to inspire others never to lose hope.
She told Newsweek : "I can’t change what happened and I also don’t know what my hip will look like in one year, five years or 10 years. I could spend every day worrying about whether I’ll develop arthritis, whether I’ll need another operation, or whether I’ll be able to do everything I used to do. But none of that changes the outcome.
"The absurdity of the whole thing still makes me laugh. I trained for months to run 122 kilometers through the mountains, and approximately 4 kilometers in, a branch took me out. I barely even scratched myself, and, somehow, I ended up with a traumatic hip dislocation, an acetabular fracture, major surgery and a long rehabilitation ahead," Simpson continued.
Although the races she planned to complete in 2026 are out of the question, Simpson remains optimistic about what she can achieve in the future. It’s just that, now, recovery is what she is training for instead.
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Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Charlotte Nisbet and James Debens
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