I’d bet most of us think we are immune to warts. Or we simply never think about them.
But we can pick them up in communal showers at the gym, the local pool, or anywhere where people go barefoot.I found an email where the sender told the story of his wart – and included a picture. Here is Brad’s story.

I used to be that guy who didn’t wear shoes. I played volleyball barefoot. Went around the house/yard barefoot. Took showers at the gym barefoot. I’m not sure where it happened, but somewhere I picked up a wart. Not just any wart, but the wart that wouldn’t respond to any treatment kind.
Did the salicylic drops. Moved to salicylic acid patches. Then to the podiatrist: three rounds of blistering agents, four rounds of bleomycin injections. While waiting for surgery, did the duct tape method. Needless to say, nothing worked, and the wart just kept growing and shooting off satellites. Finally, after an incision of about 3 cms wide by several mms deep, and 7 weeks of recovery later, I think I’m finally wart free.
Needless to say, at least in the gym showers and other questionable patches of real estate, I’m keeping my thongs (zorries) on, thank you very much…
So there you have it. It could happen to you if you are not careful. Wear clogs, flip-flops, or sandals in common areas. Check your feet after showering for any signs of a wart beginning. Then take care of them before they become too large for localized over the counter treatments.
If you think about how this would affect your training and running/hiking/walking, you’ll be careful in communal areas.