05/01/2026
From 4 major hip surgeries… to the Boston Marathon finish line.
At 48, Nicole’s journey is a testament to resilience, elite rehabilitation, and refusing to accept limitations.
After years of chronic pain, misdiagnosis, and being told she would simply have to live with it, Nicole finally uncovered the true source of her lifelong hip issues. What followed was an intense 5-year journey involving four complex hip preservation and reconstructive surgeries, countless hours of rehabilitation, and unwavering determination.
Through every setback—from bilateral hip reconstructions, gait retraining, nerve-related complications, and repeated returns to surgery—Nicole remained committed to the process. With expert surgical referrals, science-driven rehab, and personalized return-to-sport programming through Oceanside Physical Therapy, she rebuilt herself step by step.
Each surgery revealed another layer of dysfunction, but instead of giving up, Nicole kept moving forward.
Within one year of bilateral reconstruction, she:
✔️ Returned to marathon running
✔️ Set an 11-minute PR
✔️ Qualified for the Boston Marathon
Then, after a 4th major surgery just months before race day, Nicole did what once seemed impossible:
She ran the 2025 Boston Marathon pain-free in 3:23.
Not just finishing—but thriving.
Nicole’s story is bigger than running. It’s about reclaiming life, restoring function, and proving that with the right diagnosis, surgical team, and rehabilitation strategy, even the most complex cases can return to extraordinary performance.
Your body is capable of more than you think. Sometimes, it just takes the right team.