Special Guest at First Thursday - SARAH REINERTSEN

Paralympian, Three-Time ITU Triathlon World Champion, Ironman 70.3 World Champion, first woman to finish an Ironman on a prosthetic leg and first amputee to complete the 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 continents World Marathon Challenge and long-time Challenged Athletes Foundation spokesperson.

As an athlete, Sarah stepped onto the world stage after making sports history in one of the toughest endurance events in the world. When she crossed the finish line at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, she became the first woman to finish an Ironman on a prosthetic leg. In addition, as a member of the USAT National Paratriathlon team, Sarah was a 3-time world champion in ITU short course triathlon and winner of the Ironman 70.3 world championships.  Her last Ironman was in 2018 – at the 40^th anniversary of the Hawaii Ironman World Championships – a race she finished in a time of 14:41.

Prior to becoming a triathlete, Sarah raced with the US Disabled Track Team for 10 years, representing Team USA at the 1992 Paralympic Games in Barcelona. More recently, she became the first amputee to complete the World Marathon Challenge --7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days.

Sarah currently lives and trains in Portland, Oregon.  She is a member of the Nike FlyEase Innovation Team where she helps to create designs that draw insights and inspiration from adaptive athletes to reinvent footwear for all. In addition to her role at Nike, Sarah serves as a spokesperson for both Össur, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of prosthetic equipment, and the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF), a non-profit that supports athletes with disabilities. Sarah mentors other athletes at hands-on sports workshops around the country, teaching amputees how to run, spin, bike and swim – and has been fundraising for CAF since 1998.

Sarah graduated from The George Washington University with a BA in Communication and International Affairs and received her MA in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Southern California.  Her 2010 autobiography, “In a Single Bound: Losing My Leg, Finding Myself, and Training for Life” is available on Amazon.  For more info visit: https://www.alwaystri.com

To join LA Tri Club’s #CAFCommunityChallenge Team Pay It Forward go to http://support.challengedathletes.org/goto/payitforward2020