A little more than a year after being in a head-on collision with a truck while cycling, Savannah Holmes is preparing to attempt one of the toughest athletic challenges she has ever taken on.
The local athlete is preparing to swim, bike and run a 300km triathlon around the Okanagan in August, raising funds and awareness for people living with neurological injuries.
“I've miraculously been able to write the comeback, and now we're doing this to raise funds and awareness for other individuals currently navigating brain injuries and neurological rehab,” she told KelownaNow.
Holmes is no stranger to ultra-distance athletic events. The local athlete has previously completed a 500 km barefoot run, a 1000 km cycle and a 25-hour continuous run, but was sidelined in March 2024 after being struck by a vehicle while cycling.
“I was about six minutes into a ride, just left my house, and an F150 truck turned right into the cycling lane and it resulted in a head-on collision,” she explained.
Holmes had fractures throughout her spine and skull, a torn AC joint in her left shoulder, lost hearing in her right ear, a traumatic brain injury and more.
“The biggest thing was the traumatic brain injury that occurred...I didn't even press my brakes before I hit this car, and I was moving at a speed of about 40 kilometres per hour, so it (was) pretty intense,” added Holmes.
While in the hospital and recovering, Holmes wasted no time figuring out her next grand athletic attempt.
“To be honest, the day I woke up in the hospital, I knew I wanted a full circle story, and I was pretty committed to doing everything I could to heal so that I could come back and advocate for other people in a similar position,” explained Holmes.
“So…I kind of like birthed the idea of doing this in the hospital room, but it was just a matter of months ago that I was able to kind of lock in the logistics and really put a plan in place.”
And part of getting that ball rolling was rehabilitation and getting back into training, something Holmes was familiar with, but this time, training has been different.
“Before the accident, I rarely felt tired, to be honest, and I was really able to multitask and kind of switch tasks really easily. And that's one of the hardest things I've experienced since the brain injury,” Holmes added.
“And so, I've just had to break it up into smaller goals, and to be a little bit more respectful of some of the limitations that I find and feel and create new strategies.”
The 300 km triathlon will begin on Aug. 16 and feature a 10 km swim, a 215 km bike ride that circles Okanagan Lake and transitions to a run in Penticton, which will take Holmes over the KVR Trail to downtown Kelowna.
While Holmes has accomplished extended distances in each discipline, the furthest triathlon she has completed is a half Ironman, which is about 113 km.
“There's some unknown territory, but I think that always comes with ultras, which makes it kind of fun,” said Holmes.
Holmes’ goal is to complete the ultra-triathlon in 30 hours and a couple of hurdles she'll have to overcome are sleep deprivation and the heat.
“Keep going till we get it done,” said Holmes. “I always say: slow is better than quitting.”
While Holmes is using this athletic feat to increase awareness about neurological injuries, she is also raising money online.
The funds raised will be distributed to a variety of Canadian organizations that work with people who have experienced traumatic brain injuries. Donations can be made online at this link.
