Thursday, Feb. 21, 2002 | 10:53 a.m.
Alex Zanardi went out Monday and bought a pair of shoes.
That ordinary purchase was a huge event in the life of the man who lost both of his legs in a racing accident in Germany on Sept. 15.
"A pair of sport shoes, nothing fancy," he said happily in a telephone call from his home in Monte Carlo.
"Right now, normally you go into the store and check the comfort of the shoes," he said. "I go in and check the mechanics of the shoes, to make sure I can walk in them. It was a little embarrassing, at first, because the lady in the shop didn't know anything about me. So I had to explain a little bit."
Normal life is something Zanardi didn't think he would ever have again after the crash at the EuroSpeedway in Lausitz, Germany.
He's getting there, though.
"I'm certainly not very fast, but I'm conducting a normal life and I'm really, really happy about that," Zanardi said. "Right now, my day is about going to the supermarket, going to the bank, going to pick up my son at school."
The devastating crash that nearly cost him his life came late in the inaugural Champ car race in Germany. Zanardi lost control of his car as he left the pits after a late stop. He spun back onto the oval, right in front of the speeding car of Alex Tagliani.
At about 200 mph, there was no time to turn, no time to slow. Tagliani sliced through Zanardi's car. Fast work by CART's traveling safety team saved Zanardi's life, but both of his legs had to be amputated above the knee.
That would have left most men depressed and feeling sorry for themselves, but not the ever upbeat Zanardi, who decided to treat his recovery and rehabilitation like preparation for another big race.
Exactly five months to the day after the crash, Zanardi returned to Monte Carlo following six weeks of intense rehabilitation at the INAIL Medical Center in the Italian town of Budrio, near his hometown of Bologna.
During that period, his routine Monday through Friday was physiotherapy from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Doctors at the medical center told Zanardi he is at least five months ahead of schedule.
"I've been through many, many sets of artificial legs," Zanardi said. "It will never be exactly as it was before, but if I work hard, we'll get close."
Zanardi, who has an engineering background, is very involved in the process of finding and adapting the right artificial legs.
"I've played a role in my quick recovery with the fact that I've been able to help develop my own artificial limbs," he said. "Sometimes, you try really hard to do something, like walk without crutches, and you don't succeed. And then, eventually, you give a turn of a screwdriver to your knee and, magically, it works.
"Now I can walk without crutches. I'm just going around with a cane for more comfort and more safety, so I don't do anything silly."
Zanardi is justifiably proud of what he has accomplished.
"I'm developing my equipment. I'll probably be able to do that more and more and more. The fact that I've faced the tuning of my legs in a way like developing a race car, it's helped a lot.
"Now, I know a lot of things about not only mechanical knees or the way they work, but, for instance, how to change a foot. It sounds funny, but it makes so much of a difference. After a few weeks of rehabilitation, it was per my request that I try a different foot with the characteristics that I wanted. I made a huge step forward thanks to that."
He will return to the medical center often in the next year for modifications on the legs and to make sure that he is using them properly.
"Eventually, I'm just going to go less and less for checkups. The good thing is that the toughest part is behind me, which was to learn how to use and how to walk with the legs and how to walk correctly. Now, it's just to go back and make sure, on my own, that I haven't developed any bad habits, so I'm still doing all the movements in a correct way."
Meanwhile, he is enjoying life.
"The other day I drove from Bologna back to here," Zanardi said. "It was great. I went and bought a sandwich, and I filled the car with gas. ... When people stop and see me, they say 'Wow.'
"They think of me as a guy who just five months ago lost his legs and was closer to death than to life, and they see me at this point doing quite well. I understand that for people who haven't seen me in a long time, that's impressive, and I'm proud of that."
There's still some work to be done. Some days are better than others, as far as walking is concerned. Zanardi won't be deterred, though.
"The good thing is that I've turned the first page of that book," he said. "Actually, I've finished the first chapter. I've learned the basics. It's now up to me to develop a normal life."
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