When Tricia Downing completed an Ironman triathlon, she made history. She was the first female to complete the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run without the use of her legs.
Accent has partnered with Women’s History Month to bring Downing to the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom on Wednesday at 8 p.m. The speech is free and open to the public.
Downing was a competitive cyclist from 1997 to 2000. On Sept. 17, 2000, while training in Golden, Colo., she was hit head-on by a car and paralyzed from the chest down.
Downing was discharged from the hospital in January 2001. Six months later she completed her first race with her disability.
Since her accident, Downing has completed more than 15 marathons as well as triathlons ranging from sprints to Ironman triathlons.
Downing will tell her story about becoming a paraplegic and how she turned her physical challenges into a success, Accent chief of staff Corey Portnoy said.
Downing has appeared in numerous sports publications, such as Muscle and Fitness Hers magazine and Rocky Mountain Sports Magazine. She won the Sportswomen of Colorado Inspiration Award in 2003 and the Sportswomen of Colorado Triathlon Award in 2005 for outstanding sports performance.
Her speech will focus on the idea that anything can be accomplished with enough determination, Portnoy said.
Following her speech, Downing will answer questions from the audience, he said.
Downing said she likes talking to college students because her message is applicable to people at a crossroad in their lives.
She described her accident as happening at an intersection. She was hit at the crossroad of two streets and then everything changed. College is an intersection between childhood and adulthood, she said, when everything is about to change.
College often brings unexpected setbacks, she said.
She wants to help students prepare for challenges that may arise and teach them ways to overcome them.
