A woman who lost her leg after being thrown from a car completes the HYROX Fitness Race, but her prosthetic leg came off because she was ‘so sweaty’ (Exclusive)

What you need to know

• Kennedy Bingham, who lost his leg and was seriously injured in a 2021 accident, completed the HYROX Fitness Race after months of training.

• She overcame physical challenges and intense emotional moments to cross the finish line with her husband.

• After sharing her journey on TikTok, her videos reached millions of views and inspired others to take on challenges that scared them.

For Kennedy Bingham, signing up for HYROX wasn’t just about fitness, it was about proving what she was still capable of.

Years earlier, in 2021, the Idaho resident survived a devastating accident in which she was thrown from her car and left upside down on a 30-foot power line. The accident ultimately resulted in him losing his leg and permanently damaging his arm.

“I have a brachial plexus injury, three of which… [the nerves] “One was pulled right out of the base of my spine, and the other two were stretched out. That left my arm completely paralyzed,” she told PEOPLE over Zoom.

In addition to the physical trauma, the injury also caused chronic nerve pain, which she continues to battle every day.

“It feels like a needle prick. It feels like a sting. It feels like it’s on fire,” she said.

Still, Bingham continued to push himself physically. More recently, that determination has led her to HYROX. HYROX is a high-intensity fitness contest that combines running and strength-based challenges.

She chose it for one reason. That’s because she was scared.

“I knew it was really scary, and I knew I was probably going to push myself harder than anything I could have chosen,” she says. “But I knew I could do it.”

After about six months of training, Bingham competed in the November race as part of a relay team with her husband, who ultimately crossed the finish line with her husband.

But getting to that moment was a challenge in itself.

“Honestly, the training was the worst part,” Bingham says. “I was like, ‘I’m so tired of going to training, running, sledding…doing the same thing every day.'” It was really draining. ”

On race day, Bingham tried his hand at pulling a sled, doing a farmer’s carry and completing a 2km run, which he found especially difficult with his prosthetic legs.

“Running was probably the hardest part for me,” she says. “I just sweat, [the prosthetic] It literally falls off completely. So it’s really frustrating when you’re trying to achieve your goals. ”

Still, an unexpected hurdle stood in the way. I lost my balance by wearing a running blade during a farmer carry.

“The bounce actually made me pretty bad, much worse than I expected,” she said. “But I mean, we did it, and we got it done.”

In the end, it was worth it to cross the finish line with my husband.

“Seeing him break through 100 wall balls was crazy and very impressive to me,” she says. “And it was obviously awesome to cross the finish line together.”

Beyond the physical demands, the race tested her mentally as well.

“That’s literally what my mind was going through the entire HYROX race,” she says. “All I was thinking was, ‘Stop, stop, stop.'”

Still, she pushed through.

“You really are stronger than you think,” she says.

That mindset not only shapes the way she competes; It’s also the core of why she shares her journey online.

Bingham documented her HYROX training and race day experiences on TikTok, where her videos quickly gained traction, reaching millions of viewers and garnering an outpouring of support.

“I’m crying with all of you!!! ✨ This – this is what life is about. Our village that lifts us up!” one user commented.

“You are so amazing👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼,” another wrote.

“I was so surprised when I saw you running!!!” added a third.

For Bingham, that response reflects exactly why she remains open-minded.

“The whole point of sharing that…is to make other people think, ‘Oh, I can do something really difficult,'” she says. “Well, I have the ability.”

“I’m just proud that I was able to accomplish something so challenging, something I’ve been afraid of for so long,” she added.

And even now, she is already looking ahead.

“I always like to try new things,” she said, adding that HYROX is likely to appear and even considering running a marathon, although she’s still “surprised.”

No matter what happens next, her mindset remains the same.

“Choose hard,” she says. “You do yourself, push yourself…live a good life.”

Read the original article on People