A FORMER RAF Squadron Leader is preparing to fight back from injury with a 100-mile cycle ride this weekend.
Karen Lofthouse broke her right leg badly while skiing for the RAF in Austria in January 2014, and spent two years at military rehabilitation centre Headley Court. She has had four operations to repair her limb.
She said: “It was one of those things where every time I thought I’d had it fixed, it turned out my tibia had collapsed again and I needed more repairs. It was constant setbacks, one after another, quite a difficult and frustrating time.
“I really struggled to accept my injury. I’ve always been a high sporting achiever, representing the RAF at skiing, ran marathons including one in Afghanistan with five or six weeks training, and I’ve always engaged at a high level.”
Karen, who served in Camp Bastion, was medically discharged in 2016, but has been unable to take part in high-impact sports since her injury.
In December, she found out more about competing in the Invictus Games, but although she was not chosen for this year’s team, she has taken up cycling in an effort to raise money for charity.
She said: “I watched the games in Florida in 2016 and at that point I wasn’t ready mentally or physically to engage in sporting activity, but last year I went to a trial event weekend to look at different adaptive sports.
“I had restricted range of movement in my leg and couldn’t use an ordinary bike without pain, so went to York Cycle Works and they shortened a crank to accommodate me.”
On Sunday, Karen will be among scores of people taking part in the SuperDry 100x100x100 challenge, cycling 100 miles starting and finishing at the company’s Cheltenham base, and she has already raised £1,200 for Help For Heroes.
She said: “I’m nervous. To go from 20 mile rides to 73 in training last week and I’ve only done three or four long rides in the last four weeks as it’s been such a short training period but I’ve got my mind set that I will keep pedalling to the end.”
To support Karen, go to justgiving.com/fundraising/karen-lofthouse-superdry100x100x100.
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