KAREN DARKE
Karen is a Paralympic Gold Medallist, adventurer and author. Previously an active runner and mountaineer, following a fall in 2002 while sea cliff climbing at 21, Karen went on to win her hand-cycling category in Rio 2016, as well as become the first paraplegic woman to hand-cycle across the Himalayas, sea kayak from Canada to Alaska, sit-ski across the Greenland ice cap and to climb the 3000ft El Capitan in Yosemite
ACHIEVEMENTS
Pole of Possibility project, Antarctica (2021/22)
Quest 79 project, cycling seven continents (2016 – present)
Commonwealth Games, Paratriathlon (2018)
Paralympic Gold Medallist, Hand-Cycling, Rio 2016
Silver medal, UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships (2014)
Silver medal, Women’s road time trial hand-cycling, London 2012 Paralympics
Gold medal, ITU Paratriathlon World Championships (2012)
2x Silver medals, 2011 Para-Cycling World Cup (2011)
Bronze medal, Para-Cycling World Cup (2009)
Sea kayaked Chile, Patagonia (2009)
Sit-skied Greenland’s ice cap (2006)
Sea kayaked Canada-Alaska (2003)
Mont Blanc summit (15,774ft)
Matterhorn summit (14,692ft)
Climbed Yosemite’s El Capitan (3,000ft)
Hand-cycled, sit-skied & kayaked length of Japan
SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook (Pro): 1k
Facebook (Pers): 4k
Instagram: 2.3k
Twitter: 3.5k
Total: 10.8k
*Correct May 2022
APPEARANCES
The Michael Ball Show (2010)
This Morning (2011)
Surprise Surprise (2016)
One to One 3-part series (Presenter, BBC Radio 4, 2020)
The Listening Project (BBC Radio 4, 2020)
Brainwaves (BBC Radio Scotland, 2020)
OTHER
Karen became an MBE in the 2017 New Year Honours list. Karen is currently planning to complete her most recent challenge, Quest 79, in 2022 by ski-cycling from the Antarctic adventure base, Union Glacier, to a ‘new pole’, The Pole Of Possibility, at 79 degrees longitude & latitude; Quest 79 comprises cycling seven continents in nine rides to raise £79k for spinal injury charities
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