Overcoming Injury & Persevering in the Spirit of Ironman Triathlon

As a coach and athlete, there are a lot of people who have come cross my path over the years. For some, it's been to help them accomplish something they have always dreamt of doing but never thought truly possible. For others, it's because they want to gain strength, speed & power to shave minutes off their finish times. Every single one of us has a story to tell. Each athlete is different, overcomes different challenges and fights different struggles.

With Ironman Chattanooga looming just days away, sharing some of my athletes stories (with their permission) will hopefully inspire someone out there who may be fighting a physical battle or emotional struggle. I am beaming with pride that Team FX Multipart athletes have fought hard this season to make it to the Ironman starting line. It is no easy task to get here.

This is the story of LoriLyn Hicks and this is an amazing story of comeback. We've worked through some challenges in training and she has done the work.

Written by LoriLyn Hicks

My first Ironman in 2014 was Texas. Everything was going well, and I was feeling confident. Mile 30 of the bike, I reached out to grab the water bottle from the volunteer, and knocked it out of her hand. Without thinking, I twisted back to save it, and felt this sharp shift in my back. Not good, I thought. It wasn't exactly painful, so I kept going. Coming into transition, my hip and back ached, I couldn't catch my breath, and something just felt wrong. At the medical tent past run special needs, I stopped to get checked out. The medic did a quick check and told me either I walked the rest of the way, or I dropped out of the race. I walked.

After a short recovery, I started training for IMFL that same year. During a run, my foot fell asleep. I went to my PT, who discovered I had displaced my SI joint, and dislocated a rib. Therapy began, and I trained through it. I had a great race in Florida, and was looking forward to starting Placid training. I caught a cold, and was in bed a couple days. I almost couldn't get out of bed my back hurt so bad. Still, I trained for another two months, but then became afraid of the pain and discomfort and went to a chiropractor in February of '15. My hip was still dislocated, my back had an eight degree misalignment, herniated L4, bulging 2 and 3, and my muscles and nerves tested at a stress level of 1200% The doctors had no idea how I was walking, the damage was equivalent to being T boned at 40 miles an hour. We also found birth defects, my L5 disc was encased between fused vertebrae, I had spina bifida in my L5 vertebrae, and sacralization of the spine. I've been through a lot in my life, but the day the doctor told me that my racing career may be over, and that even with treatment, I had to accept there was a chance I'd wind up in a wheelchair permanently, I was stunned. I was in treatment five times a week, we couldn't risk surgery with me only having four discs. I was placed on bed rest for a few weeks.

In July, I had a major setback, and found myself in a wheelchair to be able to go out of the house. I was so scared I wouldn't get out of it. The day I got engaged, you don't see it, but the wheelchair is just off to the side. Things got better then worse, and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to walk down the aisle. I kept working at my therapy and treatment, and not only did I walk down the aisle, I got to dance with my wonderful husband.

I refused to give up, I refused to believe I wouldn't get back to Ironman. In January I was cleared to train for the Half in Chattanooga. I promised myself that if I could get to the starting line, I would make it to the finish. Which I did! I was now a full year ahead of schedule progress wise.

Soon after, new X-rays were done to see how I had progressed. My back was healthy again, my only discomfort coming from the rebuilding of my abused back muscles. I was allowed to train for the Full. My life is different now, I have to consider my back in everything I do, and have to be ready to pull the plug on training at any time. In some ways I feel like it has made me a stronger athlete, and I know my body better now than I ever did. I'm under a constant series of system checks, analyzing every movement and pain. This past Sunday, the wheelchair I dreaded so much was used as a prop in a church presentation. I went and stood next to it after the service, reflecting on how far I've come in the last 19 months.

Soon the starting line of Chattanooga will call me. And for the first time, I have no real plan other than to listen to my body. The discipline I have learned will help me greatly once I am fully healed and can begin to push myself again. But for now, I am grateful to have the chance to participate in the sport I love, and the support of the people around me who keep me going when I feel I can't. I have learned that we are capable of far more than we think we are, if we are willing to believe in the possibility of what can be.
LoriLynn Hicks

See you at the finish line LoriLyn! You are an inspiration!
Coach Robyn