“Around the 15th mile, my shin started bothering me, and I thought it was probably just shin splints,” Jimenez said.

She has Crohn’s-related arthritis in both knees, and this season she battled shin splints that required her legs to be heavily taped before every race.

Consequently, she says, some of the injuries associated with running, such as shin splints and runner’s knee, are uncommon among race walkers.