Runner’s World Australia’s November cover star isn’t just an ultramarathoner and newly minted Ironman finisher — Turia Pitt is also a burn survivor, with severe burns covering 65 percent of her body.
Pitt sustained her burns in 2011, during an ultramarathon in Australia when she was trapped in a bushfire. She spent over two years in a hospital and underwent more than 100 surgeries post-burns. Doctors told her she’d never compete again, but Pitt proved them wrong by completing an Ironman triathlon — a grueling, 14-hour, 37-minute endeavor — in Hawaii this past Sunday.
The 29-year-old’s injuries forced her to adjust her techniques for tackling the legendary race. Burns on her hands make it hard to ride a traditional bike, so hers is custom-made with special levers. She has to wear specialized clothing as well: “Because of my burns, I can’t regulate my own body temperature. I have to make adjustments or use standard tri[athlon] gear in different ways . . . I will need things such as cooling sleeves and white suits to deal with the heat in Kona,” she told the Australia Herald Sun ahead of the race.
The extra effort is a no-brainer for Pitt, who says the race — her second Ironman competition, after an Australian race this spring — was a personal goal of hers. “I’d rather take a crack at it and fail than not even try at all.”