Having overcome obstacles throughout her career, Karen is the ideal role model for people disabled and not, to reach their full potential. Always in pursuit of a challenge, Karen has recorded a number of impressive challenges. A keen runner and mountaineer in her youth, Karen fell from a cliff at the age of 21, leaving her paralysed from the chest down. Karen though, did not let her life-altering injury limit her, as she showed the resilience and strength of character to live what she herself describes as an "extraordinary life".
Her love of hand cycling grew over the years, and in 1997 she would complete a crossing of the Tien Shan and Karakoram mountains in central Asia, raising £12,000 for charity. This would inspire her to embark on a series of dramatic challenges, where she would travel 1200 miles along the Canada/Alaska coastline by sea kayak. She would also cross the Indian Himalayas and the length of the Japanese archipelago via hand bike and Greenland's ice cap on sit-on skis.
Her early adventures in the sport of hand cycling would prepare her for Paralympic level, where she would make her mark in the years that followed. In 2009, just three years after the accident, Karen won a bronze medal at the Para-Cycling World Cup, leading her to join the British Para-Cycling Team. She would then win 2 silver medals in the women's H2 road race and time trial at the 2011 Para-Cycling World Cup in Sydney, readying her for the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
At the London 2012 Paralympic Games, Karen made the British Para-Cycling Team, where she would win a silver medal on home turf. She would also cross the line hand in hand with team mate Rachel Morris in the Women's Road Race H1-3 competition, where she would take fourth while Morris took bronze. Further medals followed; Karen won gold at the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in the TRI -1 classification. She would then pen her second book, following 2006 entry, If You Fail, Karen released Boundless, co-authored with Andy Kirkpatrick.
At Rio 2016, Karen won a gold medal in the Road Time Trial H1-3 competition. Her incredible efforts were recognised by the royal family as she was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2017 for services to sport.
A wonderful ambassador for sport and icon to young people and aspiring athletes, Karen's unwavering passion and desire for what she does and for breaking boundaries is second to none. Her tale of overcoming adversity and reaching peak performance shows the immense capabilities of the human spirit, and makes her one of the most captivating motivational speakers in the UK and beyond.
