Sarah Reinertsen


Sarah Reinertsen Biography(Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)


Sarah Reinertsen (born ) is an American athlete. She was the first female leg amputee to complete the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. She first attempted to finish the race in 2004, but was disqualified when she failed to meet the qualifying time for the bike leg by 15 minutes. She returned in 2005 and completed the race in just over 15 hours. Besides marathons and triathlons, Sarah has also competed in bicycle races. She was born with proximal femoral focal deficiency, a bone-growth disorder which eventually led to her becoming an above-the-knee amputee at the age of seven. After the amputation, she began to run track and broke the 100-meter world record for female above-the-knee amputees at the age of 13. She was formerly the marketing coordinator for Ossur and spokesperson for the Challenged Athletes Foundation. She was featured on the cover of Runner's World and was named one of the first eight "Heroes of Running" in the magazine. She has also appeared on the cover of Triathlete magazine and Max Sports & Fitness magazine. Since 1991, she has recorded a number of athletic accomplishments:

  • Setting world records in the 100 m, 200 m, 400 m in her division (T42);
  • Becoming the youngest member of the 1992 U.S. Paralympic Team to go to Barcelona;
  • Conquering seven marathons (NYC 1997, 1998; LA 1998, 1999; Millennium New Zealand 2000; London 2002; and Boston 2004);
  • Holding the world record in the half marathon (2:12) and the marathon (5:27) for above-knee amputee women.
In 2006, she used the Ossur Total Knee 2000 and Talux Foot as she competed with her then-boyfriend Peter Harsch on The Amazing Race 10. They finished the race in 7th place. A native of Huntington, New York (and a Huntington High School graduate), she now lives and trains in Orange County, California. She also works as a motivational speaker.

She won the 2006 Best Female Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award.

She is featured in a 2007 ad campaign for the Lincoln MKZ.

In October 2009, she was pictured partially nude in ESPN the Magazine's body issue.



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