LIVE WITHOUT LIMITS

by Stephanie Starr . photo by Elizabeth Kreutz

D
ifferent is often a label that comes with
negative connotations. Yet, one woman
has turned it into a battle cry to inspire a
change in how those who are differently able are
perceived. You no longer have to be perfect to be
an athlete. Just determined.

Sarah Reinertsen has been different her entire

life. As a child born with femoral focal deficiency
(PFFD), one of Sarah’s legs was deformed. Up
until the age of 7, she wore a cumbersome brace
in an attempt to even out the disparity. It didn’t
help. Ultimately the doctors needed to amputate,
leaving Sarah with yet another challenge to conquer.

No one bothered to include the little girl with a

prosthetic leg during gym class. Sarah stood alone
kicking a ball against the wall while the others,
teachers included, went about their activities.
LIVE WITHOUT LIMITS
photo by Rich Cruse
Inspiration
It wasn’t until age 11, when Sarah met New York
Physical Therapist David Balsley, that things changed.
Balsley was an extreme runner who saw no reason as to
why Sarah couldn’t train her body to do all the things
other athletes did. Just because there weren’t any other
female above-the-knee amputees out there doing
marathons to learn from, didn’t mean it wasn’t possible.
They just had to be pioneers to do it.
“He had me in the gym when I was 11/12 years old lifting
weights, doing anything to make my body strong enough
to do the running, to balance on that prosthetic side,”
Reinertsen says. “Running really is a total body sport,
you’re using all of it.”
Finally, Sarah attended a track meet
for kids like herself. Here she wasn’t
alone. There were other kids around
her who were different. And they “If you want
weren’t accepting that throw-away
label as a license to feel sorry for something
themselves and not participate. And
neither would she.
bad enough
Sarah lined up with the others and
that is part of
gave the 100-meter race everything she
had. It was her first taste of victory,
the sacrifice.
the first time she’d won anything,
and it left her hungry for more.
This year it
Since that day Sarah has racked up
was all
more than a few world records in her
division. She was the youngest member
worth it. That
of the 1992 US Paralympic Team and
has conquered multiple half marathons
finishline
as well as seven full marathons. As a
member of the original Team Flex
made
Foot, Sarah was part of the group everything
responsible for testing out a new
athletic prosthetic now available on worth it.”
the market. This incredible limb
allows better movement and speed
than a traditional prosthetic leg.
However, being one of the first ment, yet
again, that Sarah would forge the way for others without
anyone to show her how it could be done.
“We were just trial-and-erroring it. When they came out
with this new design I had to relearn to run as I knew it.”
Once she had the movements down, she was amazed at
how much time it took off her racing performance. No
longer was she hindered by a cumbersome prosthetic leg
designed for just walking; with the new athletic leg she
shaved 37 minutes off her race time.
Thanks to Sarah and other athletes like her in the test
group, this energy-storing carbon fiber foot was improved
and the door opened for other amputee athletes to reap
the benefits.
w w w . m a x m u s c l e . c o m
Determination
Now comfortable with the new prosthetic, Sarah set her
sites on even larger goals. She recalls the day she made
the decision to enter the Ironman Triathlon.
“I'd seen it on TV and thought that looked so incredibly
cool and unbelievable and outrageous,” Reinertsen says.
It was irresistible as a goal.
Known as one of the most grueling triathlons an athlete
can undertake, the Ironman attracts competitors from
around the world. This event chews up even the best athletes
in their prime as they go through a course that includes
a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike race and a 26.2-mile run.
Sarah knew she’d need to push herself even harder than she
had in the past to make it happen. That meant
attacking her weaknesses and fine-tuning her
performance in all three of those sports.
“The biking, that was my newest sport and
I had to make up the most time,” she says.
In fact, it was the bike that was her sticking
point during her first Ironman in 2004. She
was 15 minutes from the cut off on the bike
and that kept her from completing the
event. But rather than pack up her gear and
accept defeat, Sarah formulated a plan for
the next year. She hired Trainer Paul Huddle
and immediately went to work.
“It comes down to the training,” she says.
“It’s what you do before the race that matters.
The training that I did, I gave it 110 percent.
That was my strategy. I found a great coach
and I asked for help.”
Working with Huddle, Sarah changed both her
training and diet regimen. She implemented
supplements such as a multivitamin, protein
shakes, gels and recovery drinks to support
her performance.
“I eat well-balanced meals. After training I
drink a shake. I eat before I ride, during the
ride and after the ride. The biggest issue was finding
what works on the bike while training.”
Discovering that Cytosport’s Cytomax worked well for her
and she could digest it easily, Sarah drank it religiously
during her rides. She monitored her intake of calories
while training and consumed approximately 150 calories
per hour to ensure she kept up her energy.
Armed with the right fuel in her body, Sarah trained 22
to 24 hours a week during a heavy cycle and a minimum
of 8 to 15 hours a week during a light one. Her full-time job
made it a challenge, but she was willing to make the sacrifice.
“I didn't have much of a life outside of working and training,”
she says. “If you want something bad enough that is part
33
LIVE WITHOUT LIMITS

photo by Rich Cruse

“Make an
appointment
that helps
you stay
motivated.
Train with
someone a
little faster
than you,
someone
that pushes
you harder.”

“Make an appointment that

helps you stay motivated. Train
with someone who is a little
faster than you are, someone
that pushes you harder.”

Reinertsen suggests signing up

for your events early when you
do decide you want to compete.

“If you have signed up for it

and you are committed to it,
the training is easier. It gives
you a purpose.”

For those athletes just starting

of the sacrifice. This year it was all worth it. That finish
line made everything worth it.”
Motivation
Now that she’s won the physically challenged women’s divi-
sion of the Ironman, becoming the first female above-the-
knee athlete to do so, Sarah continues to pursue new goals
while inspiring other athletes to do the same. She works for
Ossur, the company that manufactures the prosthetic parts she
wears and travels all over the world as a motivational speaker.
One of the key’s to motivation in athletics, she says, is to
train with other people.
out, she suggests checking out
the Challenged Athletes
Foundation. This organization
gives grants to athletes with disabilities so that they can
afford the prosthetics used in sporting events. The
running leg Sarah uses is $5,000 alone. More often than
not, those who are disabled have a hard enough time
affording one prosthetic appendage let alone an additional
one for competitive events.
You can visit the Challenged Athletes Foundation at
www.challengedathletes.org.
To learn more about Sarah Reinertsen or to hire her as a
motivational speaker, visit www.iamsarah.org.

34 w w w . m a x m u s c l e . c o m
 I M P R O V E Y O U R G O L F G A M E P 4 6

LIVE WITHOUT LIMITS

MARCH 2006
How Sarah’s Leg Works
Sarah Reinertsen’s leg is made entirely of carbon fiber for it's superior strength and flexibility, as are all of Ossur’s Flex
Foot products. Aside from absorbing shock, the full-length toe lever helps simulate ankle motion for an easier stride and
more natural movement. The separate options that make up the leg are assembled separately and attached by valves. They
can be swapped out to meet the needs of the athlete.

DermoSilTM
Silicone
Iceross® Transfemoral
Seal-In™
This advanced seal-in liner eliminates the need for
Full-length matrix
donning aids and is easy to attach. The athlete simply
outer
places the liner on and steps into the socket. cover
Suspension is automatically created by an integrated
hypobaric sealing membrane which conforms to your leg
to provide an airtight seal.. The Iceross® Transfemoral
Seal-In™ is designed to protect skin health and comfort
while stabilizing soft tissue and minimizing pistoning. Hypobaric Sealing
Membrane

Advanced
Rotation
Control & soft
distal pad
P30
Total Knee® 2100
Designed to withstand the weight of adults up
to 275 pounds, the Total Knee 2100 is made up
of an aluminum frame that weighs a mere 925 Geometric
grams! This specialized knee joint is very strong lock
despite its light weight and has a hydraulic
swing control system that is reliable and
durable thanks to its needle bearings. The
TK2100 requires less energy to manipulate Shock
than many other prosthetic knees and is absorption
designed specifically to avoid collapsing while
in full extension.

Yes, the knee joint in this diagram is facing the

correct direction. The valve attachments help
fit it to the other parts perfectly. Light weight
and
efficient

P26

Flex-RunTM
This custom foot module is recommended for
distance running. It is light weight and efficient.

Compliments of:

36 w w w . m a x m u s c l e . c o m www.maxmuscle.com