Kat Briggs was looking forward to competing in the ITU (International Triathlon Union) World Triathlon Grand Final for the first time when a July biking accident robbed her of the opportunity.
With 18 fractures and breaks, Briggs survived a crash that could have paralyzed or killed her. But on the day of the world championship in September, Briggs got out of her wheelchair and took her first steps without her crutches.
Photos by Wes Kroninger
“I was probably just as happy, believe it or not,” Briggs says.
Since her accident, the 48-year-old has been steadily increasing her physical activity. She’s not sure yet if she’ll ever compete in triathlons again, but she’s focused on patiently working through her rehabilitation.
“Part of who I am was taken away from me, but I want to get it back,” the Pickerington resident says.
The night before the race, on July 26, Briggs was feeling uncharacteristically nervous about being on the bike. The OSU Tri Fit Challenge required a 1-mile swim, 25-mile bike ride and 6.2-mile run.
Briggs felt strong getting out of the water. Her biggest strength is cycling, followed closely by
running. That day, she was biking close to 25 mph, a personal record. The race was crowded, and Briggs found herself weaving around other competitors. Her bike hit the curb, and she went face-first into a light post. Her bike was crushed by the fixture, which just missed her when it fell.
“I could have died if that had happened,” she says.
Her ear had to be sewn back on after her helmet was ripped off. Her skull was fractured. She had a concussion. Her pelvis was broken in five places, and her hip, jawbone and sacrum were also broken.
Later, Briggs learned that she was most likely in shock when it happened; she was trying to get back on her bike with a broken hip.
“It was horrible. It was the worst thing that I’ve ever been through,” she says.
Briggs stayed in intensive care for nine days. She couldn’t move for almost a week. It was the first time in 33 years that she wasn’t training for something.
Briggs had completed triathlons for nine years, starting out with duathlons. Throughout high school and college, she ran competitively. A top sprinter in seventh and eighth grades, Briggs joined cross country in her freshman year of high school in Wheelersburg, in southern Ohio near Portsmouth.
“The running ended up being my outlet,” she says.
Briggs and her three sisters grew up with physical and mental abuse from their mother. One of her sisters turned to drugs. Briggs and two sisters left home before graduating high school.
One night, after a particularly challenging period with her mother, Briggs ended up setting the two-mile record for her high school.
“Running is what saved me,” she says.
Graduating in 1986, Briggs went on to attend Marshall University in West Virginia, earning a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and a subsequent two-year degree in nutrition. While visiting her dad in Columbus during summers, Briggs met her husband, Mark. They’ve been married for 23 years.
“I think he’s one of the best people I’ve ever seen and met in my life,” she says.
Now, Mark and their children – 10th-grade twins Skylar and Ashwin, who both are in track and cross country at Pickerington High School North – are supporting her recovery process. She says they all plan to join her when she’s able to jog her first mile since her accident.
Patience has been the biggest part of Briggs’ recovery process. Until about week 8 following her injuries, she was in a wheelchair off and on. Her knowledge gained as a wellness consultant for Mount Carmel Health has also helped her take charge of her healing process.
As a track coach for Lakeview Junior High School, Briggs often talked to her team about how success forms ambition. She noticed it firsthand during her healing.
“When I could tie my shoes finally by myself, I wanted to do more,” she says. “When I could pull my own pants up, I wanted to do more.”
She’s been exercising a lot – elliptical, rowing machine, bike trainer, treadmill, walking – and has been out on her bike in her neighborhood, though she’s had to come home a few times because she got panicky. She says that post-accident, she’s more nervous now about being on a bike, or even in a car, than she was before.
Still, she says, being an athlete has helped her heal, because she’s used to wanting to improve herself. She’s been running in a pool as part of her therapy, and in January, she wants to start swimming.
“The accident itself was a defining moment in my life, but I’m doing the best I can to not let it define who I am,” she says.
Sarah Sole is an editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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