A Tucson Vascular Surgeon and his crew team have just completed a 240-mile foot race through grueling deserts, canyons and mountains in Moab, Utah. This race served as a test of endurance and advocacy for physical health.
As a Vascular Surgeon, Luis Leon, M.D., has mastered the art of applied focus, enduring patience, and stamina. Long days in the operating room, skillfully performing life and limb saving procedures for patients suffering from peripheral vascular disease require intense concentration and grit.
Vascular Surgeon Luis Leon completed a 4-day, 240-mile race through Moab, Utah on October 13, 2020.
Beginning last Friday, he and his team took on an entirely different type of physical and mental challenge as he competed in the Moab-240. The 4-day race consists of a 240-mile endurance run that spans Utah’s challenging terrain. Averaging 55.1 miles per day, Leon has been training for this race for over a year, enduring multiple injuries and setbacks along the way.
Leon is one of nearly 200 runners in the race and reached the finish line yesterday, October 13, 2020. He competed alongside bestselling author, speaking, and internet sensation David Goggins, and for the first 60 miles of the race, led the pack along with Michele Grafia, overall race winner.
As a health care provider, Leon advocates for physical fitness and mental wellbeing. In the vascular surgery world, Leon constantly encourages patients to walk through the pain they may be feeling in their legs due to arterial disease. By doing so, they help improve circulation.
Leon has followed his own mantra during this race: walking, running, and sometimes limping through the physical and mental pain on vigorous terrain. His goal is to complete five ultra-races; this one is his fourth.
“Dr. Leon’s perseverance through this race serves as a profound inspiration for not only the patients we take care of, but our entire Pima Heart and Vascular team,” says Jennifer Clark, Vascular Services Director.