She would have been forgiven for throwing in the towel, for giving away her athletic talents after flames engulfed her during an ultra marathon through Western Australia's Kimberley region in 2011.

She suffered burns to 65-percent of her body and had four fingers from her left hand and her right thumb amputated.

Instead, the inspirational speaker and author lifted her head high and continued towards her goal of competing in an Ironman event.

On Sunday, she gets a chance to do just that as she takes to the Port Macquarie course.

“People never know what they’re going to do in a situation until they’re put in it,” she said.

“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.

“I put that down to knowing myself a little bit better. Having a stronger relationship with my partner Michael, realising what the priorities in life should be.

“That’s not motivating to me, but what does get 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.”

Whatever her result on Sunday, it will be an achievement for Pitt who will then spend three weeks recovering before tackling the Kokoda trail.

While her scars are a physical reminder of the traumatic events, her mentality is as strong as it has ever been.

“It was tough at the start when I had to rely a lot on my partner Michael,” she said.

“My self-esteem has always been closely tied with my physical abilities, so when I couldn’t do anything I felt like s**t.

“Now that I’m back running and playing sports and swimming I feel more like me.

“What will get me through is just thinking about things in my life that I’m grateful for.

“Grateful to be able to experience the day, grateful for Michael, for my mum, for this beautiful country we live in and grateful that I’m still alive and can still experience the day.”

She was asked to sit in on the professional panel as a special guest when media gathered on Friday afternoon.

It included Tim Reid, Luke Bell, Paul Ambrose, Gina Crawford, Michelle Bremer and Beth Gerdes.

Pitt admitted she felt uncomfortable to be included on such a prestigious panel but she doesn’t mind her popularity at all.

 “I did feel like a bit of a douche up there on the panel with the professionals, but I think the popularity is really nice,” she said.

“I don’t mind the people coming up and asking for photos and asking me questions. I’m known for a really inspiring thing and if I can inspire people to better their lives I think that is really powerful.”

matthew.attard@fairfaxmedia.com.au