'She's unbelievable': Cape Breton woman prepares to run marathon two years after breaking hip
A Membertou First Nation woman is set to run a major marathon two years after breaking her hip.
Candice Paul, 44, was training for what would have been her first attempt at the distance when she suffered an injury that typically happens to much older people.
As part of her training, Paul took part in the Louisbourg Race Through Time - an eight mile race - in August 2019.
During the run, Paul injured herself. However, with determination, she continued to walk the final eight kilometres and finished the race.
Later, she found out how serious her injury was.
"I still find it a little surreal to say I actually broke my hip," said Paul. "Sure enough, it was fractured and the fracture had displaced, like an inch."
Doctors performed emergency surgery, putting a plate and three screws in her hip.
During her three-month recovery, Paul says she was eager to get out and run again.
This past Boxing Day, she laced up her sneakers and began chasing her goal once again.
"Because running means everything to me," said Paul.
Paul's training partner, Allison Melski, says she is an inspiration to many.
"She keeps us going. She pushes us. If she can do it - she broke her hip and kept going - we can do anything," said Melski. "That girl gets up in every weather, every day, no matter what it is, and runs. She's unbelievable. She inspires our entire group constantly."
Paul was inspired to start her running journey thanks to a challenge from her daughter.
"It was the Membertou Summer Games, she had won a couple of medals, I asked her to share them and she wouldn't," said Paul. "She said, 'Get your own.' I'm not into sports. I can't do sports. So, I looked at everything there was and the only thing I could do was a 5K. So, I started running."
As she runs a virtual race this weekend, Paul says she will have one thing in mind as she completes her journey from broken hip to full marathoner.
"Freddy," Paul laughed. "Because I am going to be training for Freddy after this."
The Fredericton Marathon is a 42.2 kilometre race in the spring.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.