Michelle Wie West Reveals How a Post-Pregnancy Run Led to a Shocking Hip Injury
There was a moment in Michelle Wi West’s postgolf life when she decided to run marathons. After her second pregnancy, she was determined to shed the nearly 75 lbs she gained. Running a few miles felt like the perfect solution, but what was supposed to be a healthy comeback turned into an unexpected setback. She remembered it vividly on Quiet Please with Kiara Dixon. I think it was like a mile and a quarter. We made the turn just out of the forum and we had just left the big crowds, she said. I fell in a pothole, which is very on brand for me. I kind of stumbled. I didn’t fall to the ground thankfully, but I hurt my hip a little bit and I kept running for the rest of the 12 m. She laughed, but the pain stayed long after the race ended that it tea happened at the Nike After Dark Half Marathon, an event close to her heart. We West has been a Nike athlete since childhood. Over the years, she’s earned more than $20 million promoting their apparel. Running for the brand felt like a duty, almost a calling. And this wasn’t just any race. It was an event dedicated to women taking back their power by doing something historically dangerous, running at night. Historically, it’s really dangerous for women to run after dark, she said. It’s when we feel most vulnerable. So, it’s really about taking your power back. And I love the story behind it. Fueled by that mission, she signed up with her big runner friends. Training gave her the kind of thrill she used to get from winning tournaments. She showed up in Los Angeles, ready to conquer the course. She did finish dead center of the entire field, but the toll on her body shocked her. I know people who do ultramarathons, and all I could think was, “Wow, I feel this ruined after the shortest distance race there is.” In a way, the entire experience felt painfully familiar. Injuries have followed Michelle we west everywhere. At 16, she suffered what became the defining setback of her career, a fall at a Stanford track meet that fractured three bones in her left wrist. Before the accident, she had never missed a cut in eight LPGA starts. She had six top, 10 finishes, and a worst result of T-26. After the injury, her momentum collapsed. Missed cuts, withdrawals, declining rankings, and eventually premature arthritis that pushed her into early retirement. Injuries became part of her identity. She trained brutally hard, often like a man, as she once joked. Everything was rotating. Her neck, back, hips, knees, something was always breaking down. But that changed the moment she became a mother. Motherhood softened her approach. After her daughter McKenna arrived, she shifted away from intense training and embraced Pilates and yoga. Her second pregnancy, an emotional and physically demanding IVF journey, changed her even more. She began treating her body with compassion rather than force. And yet, the athlete inside her never disappeared. Michelle Wi West was born to move. At 10 years old, she already stood 5’7 in, weighed 165 lbs, and blasted golf balls 275 yards. Numbers unheard of for her age. She was meant to be a powerhouse. Early retirement may have stopped one chapter, but it didn’t erase her love for the grind. Today, she stays deeply rooted in sports. She even returned to half marathons, completing one in June 2025, her first since the infamous pothole incident. To her, it symbolized reconnecting with her body after pregnancies, postpartum recovery, and years of physical battles. She has also fallen in love with tennis and pickle ball, appreciating them for their challenge, but not allowing them to consume her. Most importantly, she’s passing on her passion to McKenna. The two play soccer, tennis, golf, anything a curious 5-year-old wants to try. And golf still plays a major role in her life. She now hosts the Mizuo America’s Open, which she affectionately calls her third child. In many ways, Michelle Wi West is rediscovering the athlete she was before the world labeled her a prodigy, an athlete defined not by expectations, but by joy. Dot.
Michelle Wie West’s Painful Marathon Story: The Pothole Fall, Motherhood Shift & Her Athletic Comeback 🏃♀️⛳
💥 She survived the pressure of being a golf prodigy… but even Michelle Wie West didn’t expect THIS.
What started as a simple half-marathon turned into a painful, hilarious, and deeply personal journey for the former LPGA star. From falling into a pothole mid-race to rediscovering her body after two pregnancies, Michelle Wie West’s story is raw, inspiring, funny — and surprisingly emotional. ❤️🔥
In today’s video, we dive deep into the unexpected marathon disaster that left Michelle running 12 miles with a damaged hip, the complicated injuries that haunted her entire career, and how motherhood completely transformed her relationship with fitness and her body.
You’ll also discover how she’s reconnecting with sports, embracing healthier routines, and raising her young daughter Makenna to love athletics just as much as she does. 🥺✨
From early wrist fractures that derailed her teenage career to completing a major half-marathon in 2025, this is the story of an athlete who refuses to let setbacks define her.
⭐ If you love emotional sports stories, comeback arcs, golf legends, and powerful women redefining their identity — this video is for you.
👇 Watch till the end to see how Michelle is reinventing her passion, life, and legacy.
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🔥 WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THIS VIDEO:
• Michelle Wie West’s shocking marathon injury story 🏃♀️💥
• How a pothole almost ruined her half-marathon run
• The painful wrist fracture that changed her golf career forever
• The truth about her early retirement and chronic injuries
• How motherhood transformed her mind, body, and training ❤️
• Her 2025 return to running & new athletic passions (pickleball, tennis!)
• Raising Makenna in a healthy, empowering sports environment
• Why Michelle calls the Mizuho Americas Open her “third child” 👶
• How she’s reclaiming the athlete she always was
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