TURIA Pitt was a true ironwoman even before she completed the Ironman Australia Port Macquarie on Sunday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Despite her tragic accident, she feels that her quality of life is better now than it has ever been and her urge to complete an Ironman is the force that drives her.
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.
Turia suffered burns to 65-percent of her body and had four fingers from her left hand, and her right thumb, amputated.
The inspirational speaker and author lifted her head high and continued towards her goal of competing in an Ironman event, which she did in 13 hours and 20 minutes on Sunday.
"I was really happy with the day. I was happy to get 13 hours and 24 minutes and it is an experience I will never forget," she said.
"I really loved the whole event. It was a great day.
"Coming down that finishing line is an experience that money can't buy."
There is no rest for the wicked, with Turia's fundraising and charity work taking her to the Kokoda Track in three weeks' time.
"I'll be resting up for a couple of weeks before I head off to do Kokoda, which I do as a fundraiser," she said.
"All 30 of the people I take have to fundraise for Interplast which is wonderful and they have all done a great job."
Turia admitted before Ironman that she felt uncomfortable with a lot of the hype surrounding her, but doesn't mind sharing her story or showing her scars.
"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."