Following a serious snowboarding accident, Karen Murphy has found a passion for the sport of triathlon.
The Thames local suffered a setback in 2010 when a collision with a novice snowborder on the slopes sent her tumbling off the side of a sheer drop.
The fall was enough to break a large chunk of her pelvis, but Karen still counts herself lucky, knowing her injuries could easily have been a lot worse.
"I have been a skier for 25 years and decided to have a go at snowboarding (a ‘switch to the dark side' according to my skiing friends!). I did three or four seasons and was enjoying it and getting all over the mountain,” she said.
"Unfortunately, I tangled with a learner snowboarder on a narrow track and went over the edge of a steep drop. I landed on my hip, breaking a large chunk off the wing of my pelvis, and carried on bumping and rolling for a few metres. I'd always wondered what the ride in the banana boat felt like and now I know!”
As far as pelvic breaks go, Karen's was fairly straightforward but she was still confined to bed for several weeks with muscles and a hamstring needing time to heal after being reattached.
After almost two months she was back walking, and having competed in some social triathlons back in the early 1990s, decided to give the sport another crack as a method of rehabilitation.
"When I realised I had got away without any disability I decided to get into my triathlon training and entered the Contact Tri Series, Taupo Half Ironman and Ironman New Zealand as big goals.
"It is good for the mind and body and gives you a great sense of achievement. You also meet lots of positive, motivated, like-minded people. The training has proved to me that I have fully recovered from what could have been a devastating accident.”
Slowly but surely Karen has increased her training intensity and race distance. Most recently she completed the Taupo Half Ironman in a time of 6:50.32.
That was her build up to the big one – Ironman New Zealand in March.
Karen has come full circle since her snowboarding accident, but is thankful that it sparked her back into triathlon which has helped her become fitter than ever.
"When I started training I could only jog approximately 300 metres and that was hard work. I could not swim freestyle (just a couple of lengths of breastroke) and I hadn't been on a bike for years.
"Mixing the three disciplines leads to a good all round strength and fitness, stops any boredom and perhaps reduces injury. I'm now just weeks away from Ironman so I guess I am proof that anyone can do it.”
