Beacon team helps patient overcome major health setback to achieve Ironman dream
After seven years of dreaming and intense training, Vern Gingerich’s goal of competing in the Ironman World Championship was within reach — until a sudden setback threatened to derail his plans. What followed was a journey filled with determination, support from the Beacon care team and tough choices, leading to a final test of endurance that would define his career.
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Vern’s journey started on the soccer field, where he played until he was 40 before transitioning from playing to coaching. During his 10 years as an assistant coach at the University of Notre Dame, he took up running. That eventually led to marathons, then triathlons — races that include swimming, biking and running. He worked his way up to the Ironman Triathlon, a true test of endurance for only the strongest athletes. The competition comprises 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking and 26.2 miles of running, all to be completed within 17 hours.
“I’ve done 15 total Ironmans,” Vern says proudly.
Last April, he was halfway through the running portion of an Ironman competition in Texas when he suddenly felt an incredible pain in his right hip and was forced to walk to the finish line.
Dr. LeeAnne Torres
Back home, a visit to Dr. LeeAnne Torres, orthopedic surgeon, Beacon Bone & Joint Specialists in Mishawaka, along with an X-ray led to an unexpected diagnosis: bone-on-bone arthritis.
Treatment options
Dr. Torres says that one option to considered is hip arthroscopy, a procedure that repairs and preserves the existing hip joint, but it is only an option for patients with remaining joint space. “Unfortunately, when that space narrows beyond a certain point, hip replacement becomes the only reliable long-term option,” she says.
In Vern’s case, it was time for a hip replacement.
Knowing people who have had hip replacement surgery and were walking out the same day, Vern was surprised to learn he should give up running after the procedure.
“Running is not advised after a hip replacement in order to avoid wearing down the components,” Dr. Torres explains.
A steroid injection helped with Vern’s immediate pain, but there was still a problem. Vern had spent seven years striving to qualify for the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, and he had finally succeeded for the 2024 competition. It would take place in October, and there was no way he would miss it.
Dr. Gregg Ebersole
Vern spoke with Dr. Gregg Ebersole, Beacon Bone and Joint Specialists, who would perform his hip replacement surgery. Understanding what the Ironman meant to Vern, Dr. Ebersole advised him to wait until after the race to have the procedure.
“I always recommend waiting until after a big event to consider joint replacement,” says Dr. Ebersole. “We have various treatment modalities that can help in the short term before surgery, but your body needs time and energy after surgery to recover.”
Dr. Torres advised him to wait until after the competition to undergo the procedure. “But I had to have a team around me,” Vern says. Dr. Cody Ward, sports medicine physician with Beacon Bone & Joint Specialists in South Bend, advised him on what preparation would help him get to – and through – the long race.
Training for Kona
“Vern’s arthritis was rather substantial for an individual planning to compete in a race as grueling as Kona,” Dr. Ward says. “When we met, we focused on optimization of the timing of his injections as well as cross-training strategies to decrease the high-impact training given his degree of arthritis.”
Dr. Cody Ward
The goal was to manage Vern’s pain during training to set him up for success on his big day. “Steroid injections can have a diminishing benefit with repeat injections, so we had to be sure to time his injections to optimize potential benefit on his race day,” Dr. Ward explains.
In other words, too many injections during training could have improved his ability to train, but left him less able to manage the pain on race day. But withholding injections during training might have left him unable to reach the fitness level needed to complete the competition.
They decided on an injection one week before the race, hoping it would relieve the worst of his discomfort. Meanwhile, Vern underwent physical therapy at Beacon Physical Therapy Elkhart for five months leading up to Kona, in addition to his regular training.
“The special care I received from Taylor Risser and Fred Luster meant the world to me,” Vern says. “I credit a lot to them for me to even get to the start line in Kona.”
He confesses, “That’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Swimming, training and biking were fine. But the long runs were terrible.”
Sometimes the pain felt so intense that he couldn’t finish a run and had to call his wife for a ride.
But his determination was stronger than the pain.
A triumphant day
The morning of the race, Vern knew he needed to swim and bike quickly to allow extra time for the running portion. “I know how to finish a race, but I had never done it with bone-on-bone pain in my hip,” he says.
It turned out to be an incredible day.
“It was beautiful out on the ocean. You see dolphins and turtles underneath you as you swim. On the bike, you have beautiful lava fields on both side, plus the ocean,” he recalls. The swimming and biking legs of the competition went by faster than expected. Now, he just had to endure 26.2 miles of running.
His pain usually flared up when he hit the 16-mile mark on a run, but not this time.
“The last 10 miles, I sprinted in! It was an unbelievable experience after seven years of dreaming,” he says. “It would not have been possible if I didn’t have the Beacon support behind me.”
Having achieved his goal, Vern was ready to proceed with his joint replacement surgery without regrets, even though it meant he would never compete in another triathlon. “Knowing the last time I ran was at Kona, my heart is full,” he says. “I’m good with that being the last time I run.”
Taking the next step
Three months later, Dr. Ebersole performed the minimally invasive hip replacement surgery at Beacon’s surgery center in Granger. Vern arrived early in the morning and was home the same day. “Dr. Ebersole is very professional and seemed to really care about my well-being,” he says.
Vern describes the surgery itself as quick, easy and painless.
“Vern was an ideal candidate for an anterior total hip replacement, which is thought as the least invasive method to perform a hip replacement,” Dr. Ebersole says. “We remove the arthritic portion of the joint through a small incision in the front of the hip. We then implant a metal cup and stem to match each individual patient’s anatomy. Patients tend to feel better pretty quickly. We often have to hold patients back from doing too much.”
Vern used a walker during the first week of his recovery, giving his body time and rest to heal. By the second week, he was walking around, and a week later he was back on a treadmill. One month after surgery, he was able to ride a stationary bike and swim laps in the pool.
A great result
“I can’t say enough about how well I feel now,” he says. “I’m already swimming, biking and doing strength training. I can do anything except the run.” Looking back, he has no regrets about the years of sports that may or may not have affected his hip joint: “This is the one body I’ve got. I’m going to use it.”
Vern is especially grateful for the outstanding care he received and for the fact that it’s available so close to home.
“To have the support, knowing that there are quality people in the area that really care about me as a person, means everything to me and my family. We wouldn’t have been able to do this without their support.”
Learn more
When your daily life and routines have changed because of bone fractures, joint, muscle or tendon pain, it’s time to see the experts. Beacon Bone & Joint Specialists provide expert orthopedic care while helping you get back to doing what you love – whether that’s playing on the court, running in the Ironman or heading out to the garden.
Athletes like Vern Gingerich and others who participate in physical activity are more than just bones and muscles. The orthopedic and sports medicine physicians at Beacon are dedicated to delivering a comprehensive approach to sports medicine for the injured and healthy athlete.
Specializing in sports medicine, our physicians work closely with physical therapists, athletic trainers, exercise physiologists, primary care physicians, orthopedic surgeons, nutritionists and sports psychologists to help athletes of all ages and abilities achieve their peak performance.
