Burn Victim Completes Ironman Triathlon After Being Told She Would Never Walk Again

May 2, 2016 | By Margo Gothelf

When a runner from Australia was involved in a horrific accident, she was told she would never run again. But hearing those words only seemed to inspire her more.

In 2011, Turia Pitt was in the middle of a 100-kilometer run when a change in the wind pattern created a wall of fire in a rampant bushfire. The flames trapped Pitt causing her to be seriously injured and leaving her with burns to 65 percent of her body.

After the race, Pitt could not walk and she was told by doctors that she would never walk again. However, Pitt beat the odds and proved the doctors wrong by completing a new race this past weekend.

Pitt took on the Ironman Australia triathlon in Port Macquarie, New South Wales. The race consisted of a 2.36 mile swim, 111 mile bike ride and a 26 mile run. Overall it took Pitt 13 hours and 24 minutes to complete the race.

“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Pitt told The Daily Telegraph.

Just sayin but I'm doing an Iron Man tomorrow #sorrynotsorry #nevergiveup pic.twitter.com/rg5NiEYwQA

— Turia Pitt (@TuriaPitt) April 30, 2016

Pitt shared that it was tough getting back into the swing of things, as she wasn’t a fan of relying on help from others. Since her physical abilities are back, she’s felt more like herself again.

“My self-esteem has always been closely tied with my physical abilities, so when I couldn’t do anything I felt like shit,” Pitt shared with The Sydney Morning Herald. “What gets me out of bed is just getting back to that really compelling reason of why I wanted to do Ironman — just to prove that I’m fitter now than I was in the ultra marathon.”

Since completing the Ironman, Pitt hopes to raise $60,000 for Interplast, an “NGO that specializes in providing free reconstructive surgery for people in developing countries,” shared Mashable.

Pitt hopes to compete in the 59 mile Kokoda race in Papua New Guinea in the upcoming weeks.

“She couldn’t walk five years ago — look at her now,” Pitt’s husband, Michael Hoskin, told The Daily Telegraph after she finished the race.

“It has brought a tear to my eye and I don’t normally cry. It has been an amazing journey. It’s the indomitable spirit of the human being.”

#IMOZ via @ironmanasiapac
What a legend, what an inspiration what a role model! @turiapitt you are an #IRONMAN! pic.twitter.com/9ZFY2LUuWR

— ironman news (@IronManNEWS) May 1, 2016

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