Karen Darke

Paralympic cycling champion Karen Darke is an adventurer, author and motivational speaker, who can apply the determination and grit required for professional sport, to making a business succeed at the highest level.

Full of adventurous spirit, Karen was climbing a cliff in Scotland at the age of 21 when she fell, and became paralysed from the chest down for the rest of her life.

It was the same defiance and love of adrenalin and challenges that have motivated her to overcome the challenges her body has to face, with a toughness and vigor of mind she never knew she had.

Only the night before the accident Karen told a friend that she would rather die than be paralysed.

She had no idea that what she believed was the end of her life would become the start of an extraordinary new adventure.

Finding fortune in misfortune, Karen adopted a strength of mind that would lead her into seemingly unachievable situations and to persevering until she found success.

Challenging physical and mental barriers, Karen has achieved the unthinkable. Sit-skiing; hand-cycling; triathlons, marathons and kayaking in some of the most inhospitable places on earth, are just a small example of Karen’s incredible achievements.

Karen’s most physically challenging adventure was a 600 kilometre traverse of the Greenland ice cap which took her a month to complete, and where she had to battle 200 mile an hour winds and temperatures below 40 degrees.

Competing in the Para Thriathlon, taking a trip to the South Pole and representing Team GB in the Rio Olympics, Karen is an incredible sportswoman and thrill seeker.

It was in the Rio 2016 Paralympics that Karen won gold in hand-cycling. With this being the 79th medal for Britain, Karen decided to create Quest 79, a project where she cycled 7 continents in 9 iconic rides, encouraging many people to step out of their comfort zones and discover passion, purpose and strength.

Karen is also a Guiness World Record holder for landspeed by armpower, has skied across icecaps, kayaked at extreme latitudes of the planet, and hand-cycled across the world's biggest mountain ranges.

Her first book "If You Fall" tells the story of her accident: the second, "Boundless" is about her adventures in Greenland and climbing El Capitan. "Quest 79: Find Your Inner Gold" is a collection of short stories positive psychology tips.

Sharing her motivational story and extraordinary life on the speaking circuit, Karen can deliver business lessons and educate audiences on how to overcome life’s adversities.