HUDSONVILLE, Mich. — In paper letters, a handmade sign at the front of Raychel Figurski's classroom displays two equations. They're the math teacher's favorite: Talent x Effort = Skill; Skill x Effort = Achievement.
"I want to show them that you can do anything you set your mind to, as long as you put in the work," Figurski said.
In recent years, Figurski — a cross country coach and marathoner — has put those words to the test, rehabbing from a pair of hip surgeries and a knee operation that sidelined her from running.
"PRs across the board, mile through the marathon," said Figurski, describing her pre-injury physical condition. She had qualified for and ran two of the six World Major Marathons (Boston and Chicago) and had no plans of slowing down.
In 2021, though, she felt a "weird pain" in her leg. A stress fracture or "something slightly overstretched," she thought.
A visit to the doctor revealed a different story: Bilateral labrum tears in both legs. Figurski's hips weren't shaped correctly as the balls of her femurs were too big, putting strain on the cartilage around her hip joints, leading to the tears.
"Instead of it fitting in the socket and rotating, [the bones] kind of just jumped and skipped," she said.
A pair of surgeries in 2022 shaved down both of Figurski's femurs. Doctors gave her a good prognosis, but she'd need to relearn how to walk before returning to a course.
"A wild ride, craziest school year of my life," Figurski said. "Teaching on crutches, not knowing how to walk but also having to stand up in front of your class."
An additional knee operation meant she underwent three surgeries in nine months. A part of her life was put on hold: While still a teacher and a coach, Figurski wasn't as much of a runner.
"Really hard," Figurski said. "I felt like I got removed from that group. It made me miss it more and want to do it more."
Her bones healed over time. Six weeks after doctors cleared her to run, she ran the Chicago Marathon. Not her best time, but a start.
"We're building back into it," said Figurski, who's since completed three marathons since her surgeries, including the Berlin Marathon, another world major.
New York is next.
For this race, Figurski was selected by Tata Consultancy Services, the main sponsor of the New York City Marathon, to run with Team TCS Teachers, a program "created to celebrate the transformational impact of educators by offering them VIP entry to some of the world’s most iconic marathons," according to a release. Around a thousand applied for the team. Fifty earned a spot, Figurski says.
"I want to show my girls and also my students that resilience matters, and you can get back to what you want to do," she said.
The New York City Marathon is Sunday, November 3.
