Australian Olympian Shocked to Learn She Ran Marathon With Broken Leg

Preparing for a marathon demands far more than simply building up kilometres. It requires months of physical conditioning, mental discipline and the ability to endure the strain that long-distance running places on the body.

For many runners, the toughest part comes when they hit “the wall” — that punishing point where fatigue, pain and doubt collide, forcing them to rely as much on mindset as muscle.

Former Olympian Brianna Throssell understands that battle better than most after pushing through significant pain to complete the Gold Coast Marathon.

After retiring from swimming in 2024, Throssell, like many elite athletes searching for a new challenge, quickly threw herself into running and set her sights on finishing the Gold Coast event.

The challenge, however, came at a major physical cost. Her body, unaccustomed to the demands of marathon training, began to break down, and scans later revealed she had fractured 40 per cent of her femur.

The pain initially started out as a niggle, something she was able to work through as she completed the marathon.

It became a persistent ache for Throssell, so she decided to get it checked out.

She decided to get an MRI for what she assumed would have been a hip impingement, then came the real news.

‘You need to go to your local chemist right now and get yourself a set of crutches, you are non-weight bearing for six weeks (they said) because I had fractured 40 per cent of my femur,’ she told PerthNow.

‘I was so shocked to have that result, I associated fracture with a lot of pain whereas I wasn’t in that much pain.

‘I was still getting about my day, with a little bit of an achy feeling, but I just thought a fracture would be very, very painful.’

Throssell had spent her entire elite competitive career, the 5am wake-ups, the eight hour training sessions, without suffering any sort of major injury.

And yet it was in this moment, after her retirement that she had suffered an injury that has stopped her in her tracks since completing the marathon.

To make matters more frustrating for Throssell is that the leg break was suffered just six weeks before her wedding.

Six months on, and she still hasn’t been able to return to running as she rehabs and recovers from the fracture.

‘It is like a blessing in disguise,’ she says.

‘I’ve learned that I probably need to just slow down a little bit more and have more rest days, and listen to my body that little bit. I love pushing my body to the limits, that’s what I did, and that’s what I knew for 12 years of my life.’ 

And just two weeks ago, Throssell had her third MRI as she continues her recovery efforts.

‘Tomorrow I head in for MRI number three,’ she wrote on Instagram.

‘What I thought would be a short setback has now been going on for almost five months.

‘If there’s one thing this injury has taught me, it’s that healing isn’t something you can compare. I’ve caught myself looking at other people’s recoveries and wondering why mine hasn’t looked the same, but everyone’s body, injury and timeline is different.

‘Along the way I’ve also discovered I have osteopenia, which has helped explain why things have taken a little longer than expected.’

Being unable to run, hasn’t stopped the former Olympic gold medallist from remaining active.

She is back in the pool, a place that she called home for so long and a place that her body missed according to Throssell.

‘I think my body loves to swim. It’s all it knew for almost 12 years of my life, so my body very much enjoyed being back in the pool,’ she said.

Speaking of finishing the marathon, she said, ‘it was a relief.’

‘But reflecting back now, I’m actually just so much more proud – probably than what I was in the moment. I think it takes a lot to get to that start line.’