Turia Pitt is staging a comeback to the sport that almost killed her 13 years ago when she suffered horrible burns after being caught in a wild bushfire during a 100km ultramarathon in Western Australia.
“I signed up to do the Gold Coast Half Marathon,” reveals Turia, who has endured more than 200 operations to repair some of the damage she suffered when she was left with burns
to 65 per cent of her body.
To even enter the race, taking place from July 5-6, let alone finish the 21.1km required, is an extraordinary achievement for this young woman, who thought her injuries were so severe that she may never recover, let alone thrive.
“I thought I would never run again,” she admitted after the life-changing accident.
“I think that’s one of the good things about my accident – that I got tested beyond what any normal human gets tested, and that doesn’t happen to most people. I had to rebuild my life completely from scratch.
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“I couldn’t even walk. I couldn’t brush my hair. I couldn’t wipe my arse. So I was in that low point of my life, and I found the tools within me to learn how to get out of bed and start walking.”
A TRUE INSPIRATION
Her celebrated resilience and determination to rebuild her life continues to inspire millions of people around the world. Indeed, there were no shortage of people celebrating Turia when she announced her comeback.
“You are a champion,” shared one supporter. “You’ve got this Turia. You are strong, fit and you can win any marathon,” posted another. “Turia you are my heroine. Whenever I feel sorry for myself, I think
of you and your strength and become inspired again,” revealed another fan.
Of course, the 37-year-old doesn’t really consider herself brave, despite all the hardships she has endured. But she has actively shared her journey with the world to show what can be achieved when you set your mind to it.
And there have been many milestones since that terrible September day in 2011.
Having lost all the fingers on her right hand and two fingers on her left hand, Turia spent six months in hospital and endured two years in a full-body compression suit and mask before famously removing it for the first time on 60 Minutes.
The former mining engineer documents her journey – including competing in two gruelling ironman competitions just three years later after removing the suit – on Instagram, where she now has almost one million followers.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
Throughout her long and difficult recovery, Turia has been blessed with the love and support of Michael Hoskin, who she fell in love with when she was just a teenager, and who, she says, still makes her feel like she’s the luckiest girl in the world.
Former police officer Michael is now a helicopter pilot, and the couple have returned to their hometown of Ulladulla, NSW, where they are raising their two boys, seven-year-old Hakavai and five-year-old Rahiti together.
The couple got engaged in 2015, but Turia, who says she’s known for many years that Michael is her one and only “life partner”, wanted to wait until she felt she looked her best before tying the knot.
Turia revealed two years ago that she had flown to Baltimore in the United States after finding a surgeon who could operate on her nose to improve her breathing and make it look more symmetrical.
“When I think about marrying Michael, I want to look really, good,” she wrote on Instagram, stressing that she was having the surgery purely for herself and that Michael’s love and devotion has never wavered.
“I want to have a nice big smile, a nice even nose, long, glossy, wavy hair, my big eyes, my shoulders will be tanned, and I’ll wear a floral crown and black pearls.”
But for now, Turia, who manages her Run With Turia online program on top of hosting a podcast and working as a motivational speaker, is firmly focused on training for the Gold Coast Half Marathon.
Admitting to her fans that she’s “annoyed” with herself after losing her running fitness following the birth of Rahiti in February 2020, Turia says she plans to ramp up her half marathon training this month.
“I’m also trying to practise what I preach,” she says, “and try to remind myself that I can’t compare myself to previous versions of myself, and that’s OK. I’m finding myself again.”
‘I can’t compare myself… I’m finding myself again.’
