AURORA, Colo. — A little more than a month after the Olympics wrap up, women triathletes will be heading to the south of France for another competition on the global stage. The Women’s Ironman World Championship is Sept.
22, and Colorado native Liz Young has qualified for the big race. Young grew up in Colorado Springs, lived in Denver for several years, and now works as a school counselor in China. Just recently, she became a sponsored athlete.
“I had a contact that I emailed to ask for a T-shirt or something – if there’s anything with National Kidney Registry or to promote kidney donation,” Young said. “So, I reached out and found out they would like to sponsor me for this race.” In 2022, Young donated one of her kidneys to a stranger.
“I don’t even know the man who has my kidney,” she said. “Every day, people are dying while they’re on the waitlist, waiting for a kidney. If more people considered kidney donation, it would decrease the number of people waiting for a kidney.
” Young has completed 11 Ironman competitions. This fall will be her sixth race with only one kidney. “I have moments where I forget that I only have one kidney,” she said.
“My health is the same as before, if not better.” The decision to become a living donor was easy for Young. She knew she wanted to help save a life.
“I have decided not to have children, and I wanted to do something to leave a legacy,” she said. “I wanted to do something selfless. I wanted to d.