SARAH REINERTSEN

“Fear less, live more”

Sarah Reinertsen truly follows her motto, “Fear less, live more”. Besides the fact that, as a sportswoman, she has beaten several world records, she has overcome many obstacles and preconceived ideas about what amputees should be able to do.

Text: Anders Lindgren

merican paratriathlete Sarah Reinertsen was born with a rare condition, proximal femoral focal deficiency (PFFD), which meant that her left leg was considerably shorter than her right leg. And, at the age of 7, her left leg was amputated above the knee.

SHE WAS A lively child and was keen to participate in various sports. But she was excluded from playing in team sports.

“My parents did their best to help me. But the narrow-mindedness around us meant doors were closed and opportunities were withheld, and I remained on the sidelines,” she reports.

When Sarah’s father saw his daughter struggling with team sports, he looked up amputee marathon runner Paddy Rossbach during a competition near the family home on Long Island.

“I was 11 when I met Paddy, and that completely changed my life. She became my mentor and made me aware of my potential. The inspiration, motivation and self-confidence I gained from her led to me

starting to compete in sprinting,” Sarah recalls.

She was now welcomed into a community of medallists from international competitions and was soon an outstanding sprinter. As early as her first international competition, at the age of 13, she beat the world 100 m record for women with a transfemoral amputation. She was a member of the US Disabled Track Team for seven years, and represented the US in the Barcelona Paralympics in 1992. And her world record (T42) for the 400 m, which she set in 1999, remains unbeaten.

WHEN SHE WAS 17, however, something happened that would change her life forever.

“I met paratriathlete Jim MacLaren, who had completed an Ironman competition with a prosthetic leg. I knew immediately that I, too, wanted to compete in an Ironman, and show that a girl with a prosthetic leg can do this. So, he became my new example and mentor.”

Around that time, in 1992, Sarah was still a sprinter and she could not swim or cycle. But her determination to complete an Ironman gradually changed her focus from short distance to long

“I knew immediately that I wanted to do an Ironman.”

distance and triathlon. In 1997, she ran her first marathon in New York. After that, she took part in races all over the world and beat the world record many times over. In the 2000s, she also began competing in the International Triathlon Union’s (ITU) World Championships, winning gold in 2003.

IN 2004, SHE finally became the first female amputee ever to participate in an Ironman competition with a leg prosthesis. Unfortunately, she missed the cut-off time in the cycling round by 15 minutes and was disqualified. Disappointed, but determined, she longed for a comeback.

One year later, she was back, in Kona, Hawaii. And this time she managed all the cut-off times and completed the entire 226.26 km course in 15 hours and five minutes.

SHE CONTINUED TO complete in the ITU world championships, taking gold in 2007 and 2009, and silver in 2011. In 2018, she became the first amputee in the world to complete a World Marathon Challenge, running seven half-marathons on seven continents in seven days. And when the Ironman World Championships celebrated their 40th year last year, she reached her target in 14 hours and 41 minutes, beating her 2005 world record by 24 minutes. In interviews, she has said this was probably her last major competition. So, what will she be doing next?

“I’ve spent 30 years crossing finishing lines. Now I want to help other people reach their starting lines.”

Sarah is an outspoken person who encourages people to fear less and live more. And, just as she has been beating sporting records, throughout her life she has been overcoming obstacles and preconceived ideas that stand in the way of what amputees are perceived as being able to do.

“I love doing things that haven’t been done before and pushing the boundaries. That’s what drives me on.”

AS SPOKESPERSON

for The Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF), she is keen to share her drive to motivate others. The Foundation contributes finance for adaptive sports equipment, coaching and mentoring to allow children with disabilities the chance to make the most of their sporting talents and their lives. Sarah is also a writer and motivational speaker, sharing her life experience and addressing topics such as setting goals, facing down your fears and living an extraordinary life.

Age: 44 Lives in: Orange County, California Family: Husband Brooke Raasch Interests: Philanthropy, travel, yoga, music and all things Norwegian.

SARAH REINERTSEN

She is a graduate in communication and international affairs, and has a master’s in broadcast journalism. THE ONE-TIME sports journalist still lives in California with her husband, but now works in the “Innovation Kitchen” at Nike’s global headquarters in Oregon. Here she helped to develop the Nike Sole, the first shoes for a running prosthesis, launched in 2012. She also worked on Nike’s first adaptable closure technology, FlyEase. The technology means the shoes have an adjustable strap linked to a wraparound zipper, which opens and closes with a single responsive action. Perfect for people with a leg or arm prosthesis.

“Although I’m proud of my sporting accomplishments, I’m even more enthusiastic about working with partners like Össur, CAF and Nike to help sportspeople of all abilities to step off the sidelines and start to take part in the big game of life. We’ve just begun – so you can expect lots of fantastic new innovations and exciting ventures for a long time to come, ” Sarah concludes.

Being an example and a mentor for the next generation of disabled sportspeople is one of my biggest enterprises so far.

Photo: Atli Thor Alfredsson