Burns survivor completes gruelling race

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Athlete Turia Pitt, pictured with husband Michael Hoskin, needed to run through a bushfire to save herself during a race.

An Australian runner who suffered life-threatening burns when she was caught in a bushfire during a race has finished a gruelling Ironman triathlon.

Turia Pitt received burns to 65% of her body and was told she would never compete again after the 2011 ultra-marathon in the Kimberley region.

But on Sunday she completed the 226km (140 mile) Ironman Australia triathlon, making headlines across the country.

Ms Pitt said she was “stronger, fitter and faster” than before the fire.

“People never know what they’re going to do in a situation until they’re put in it,” the 28-year-old told Fairfax media after the race in Port Macquarie.

“Some people might have given up, some people might have gone on to live a great life. I think my quality of life now is probably even a little bit better than it was before the fire.”

Ms Pitt spent 864 days in hospital and underwent more than 100 surgeries to treat her injuries after the 2011 race.

Hong Kong-based Racing the Planet, which organised the event, had not put in place proper procedures to prevent injury in the event of a bushfire, an inquiry later found.

A total of five competitors suffered severe burns.

Ms Pitt, now an author and motivational speaker, used the race on Sunday to raise money for Interplast. The agency provides free reconstructive surgery to people in developing countries in the Asia Pacific.

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