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Long Island Magazine Articles
Finished Business: Sarah Reinertsen Realizes Her Dreams While Inspiring Others Along the Way By Kristen D’Andrea It takes determination, motivation and strength to compete in Hawaii’s annual Ironman Triathlon, regarded by many as the most honored and prestigious triathlon event in the world. The race, which consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile marathon, must be completed in 17 hours. The thought of participating in any one of those events—let alone all three—is enough to make most people wince. Sarah Reinertsen, however, is not most people. In 2005, the 34-year-old Huntington High School graduate officially became an Ironman after completing all three legs of the event in 15 hours and five minutes. As if that accomplishment were not enough, when she crossed the finish line, she did so with only one leg, making her the first female above-the-knee amputee to ever conquer Ironman. Inspiration When she was 11, Sarah was a spectator at a 10K race in Plainview in which her dad was running. There, she met another amputee, Paddy Rossbach, who had run nine marathons on her prosthetic leg. “That was a pivotal moment for me,” she said. “I didn’t even know how to run.” “I had this rubber foot and a hollow leg with two hinges on the side,” Sarah said. “This woman had a space-age leg compared to mine.” Sarah was born with a deformed left leg from a condition known as proximal femoral focal deficiency. At age 7, after having worn a stiff leg brace from the time she was 11 months old, Sarah’s leg was amputated. “I never thought I could be an athlete,” she said. All of that was about to change. Learning How to Run After meeting Rossbach, Sarah realized what she needed to do. She got a better prosthetic leg, with a Flex-Foot and socket, for running. Then, she began working out three days a week with a physical therapist who taught her, step-by-step, how to run. “I had always done a hop/skip kind of thing…I kind of galloped,” she said. “Now all of a sudden I was learning how to run for the first time in my life. And, I was starting to like my body, instead of hating it.” Soon, she started competing on the disability track circuit, running in meets against other girls who were missing legs. Each time she would win a race she gained more confidence and motivation. At the age of 13, Sarah broke the 100-meter world record for female above-the-knee amputees. She continued to compete at the New York State Games for the Physically Challenged, in national championships and ran track all through high school. “Running became my passion,” she said. In 1992, Sarah traveled to Barcelona, Spain, to compete in the Paralympic Games, held every four years, following the Olympic Games, for athletes with physical and visual disabilities. When she didn’t win a medal, however, she was disappointed and lost a bit of her drive. “I decided I didn’t want to run anymore,” Sarah said. “I graduated high school, went to college, gained the freshman 15 and wasn’t feeling good about my body.” It was around that time that she first heard of the Ironman Triathlon. “It made the Paralympics look lame,” she said. “I immediately said, ‘I want to do that.’” The fact that she couldn’t ride a bike and was not a swimmer by any means didn’t dissuade Sarah. “I knew how to run,” she said. Training to Become an Ironman A senior at George Washington University in D.C., Sarah began signing up for 5K and 10K races, establishing a training plan. “What an inspiring place to run,” she said, recalling early morning jogs around the Capitol, the National Mall and the Washington Monument. Later that year, Sarah completed her first marathon. After graduating from GWU, Sarah went on to pursue a master’s degree at the University of Southern California. In 2002, she decided it was time to get on a bike if she were really going to consider qualifying for an Ironman Triathlon. “The last time I had attempted to master biking, I was 10,” Sarah said. “My foot wouldn’t stay on the pedal and I couldn’t get up the hills in my neighborhood.” Learning how to ride a bicycle again was “very humbling,” she said. “I fell a lot and started riding with long sleeves to protect myself.” One year later, Sarah completed her first triathlon. In California, where Sarah was now living and working at Challenged Athletes Foundation, a not-for-profit organization helping people with disabilities, triathlons are held on the beach, she said. “I had to learn how to swim in the ocean, which was kind of scary,” she said. In her teens, Sarah, who doesn’t wear a prosthetic to swim, said she had been bashful about taking her leg off in public. Now, in addition to confronting her fears about ocean swimming, she also had to address body image issues. “Training to become an Ironman was truly a wonderful personal journey,” she said. The Big Day In 2004, after having completed seven marathons and winning the female leg-amputee division of the International Triathlon Union World Championships in New Zealand a year earlier, Reinertsen qualified for and became the first female with a prosthetic leg to enter the Ironman Triathlon. The world-championship event, known for its grueling length and harsh racing conditions, begins at 7 a.m. Participants must first complete the 2.4-mile swim in no more than two hours and 15 minutes. Next is the 112-mile bike ride, which riders must finish by 5:30 p.m. Finally, competitors begin the marathon portion of the event, a 26.2-mile run, which must be completed by midnight. On the day of Sarah’s Ironman competition, in addition to the thousands of other competitors, Sarah was battling 65 mph winds, extreme humidity and no shade. By the time she made it to the bike portion of the event, after pedaling under the sun for nine hours, she was dehydrated and getting sick every few miles. “I was in the middle of a 12-year dream in the making and I just kept chasing the sun,” she said. “I knew if it set, I’d miss the cut-off time.” Sarah finished her 112th mile 15 minutes past the cut-off at 5:45 p.m. “When I realized I failed, I cried my eyes out,” she said. Making her way to the finish line, she watched fellow athletes finish and become Ironmen. This time, rather than getting discouraged like she did as a 17-year-old at the Paralympics in Barcelona, she became even more determined. “I said, ‘I’m coming back.’” Unfinished Business The following year, Sarah made a great deal of sacrifices. Friends vacationed in Cabo San Lucas, but she didn’t because she was saving money for the next Ironman. She turned down invitations to several weddings, including her father’s, because she had to go for a 100-mile bike ride. Wanting to practice on the actual triathlon course, Sarah made three trips to Hawaii in 2005. This time, however, all of her hard work paid off. Sarah completed the swim portion of the event in 1:26 (10 minutes faster than she had the year before); and she completed 112 miles on her bike in 7:46 (an hour and a half faster than she had in 2004). When she crossed the finish line 15 hours and five minutes after she began the event, with 16 family members and friends wearing “Unfinished Business” t-shirts cheering her on, Sarah became an official Ironman. Sarah’s mother, Solveig Fuentes, was one of the spectators waiting at the finish line. “We expected her to finish sometime after 11 p.m., so the throngs were surprised and thrilled when it happened at 10:05 p.m., almost an hour before she was expected,” she said. “I was watching her face as she crossed the line. She had a look of disbelief mixed with intense joy; as if she couldn’t believe her lifetime dream had really come true.” “For me, seeing Sarah realize this dream was even bigger than giving birth to her,” Fuentes said. Training for Life Since her historic accomplishment, Sarah has not slowed down. A year after becoming an Ironman, she was invited to audition for CBS’s hit reality television show, The Amazing Race. During her appearance on the show in 2006, she scaled the Great Wall of China. In September 2009, she wrote a book about her life and experiences titled, “In a Single Bound: Losing My Leg, Finding Myself and Training For Life.” She regularly gives motivational and disability awareness speeches at schools and corporations worldwide, frequently returning to Long Island. Sarah also leads a series of sports clinics and mentors other athletes with and without disabilities. Additionally, she has appeared on Good Morning America, Nightline, and The Early Show. Sarah continues to compete in triathlons, half-marathons, and bicycle races throughout America. Last year, she was named female Paratriathlete of the Year by the USA Triathlon organization, after coming in first at the ITU Triathlon World Championship. In September, she’ll travel to Budapest to defend her title. She admits that her Ironman completion time of 15:05 taunts her, and doesn’t rule out participating in another Ironman competition. “I would love to break 15 hours,” she said. “For me, signing up for these events—it’s how I stay motivated.”
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