Well, I don't know much about Sarah, however i would venture that she has funding from challanged athlete programs.

As far as the 'guy who broke his bike', he was rewarded for his efforts with new bike compliments of Cannondale at the awards dinner. It was pretty cool.

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-Erik

"I don't half-ass anything. For me its either whole-ass or nothing." -elake

That was very cool of Cannondale. Similar thing happened in Muncie in 1996. Two Checz guy got hit by a car a few days before the race. Trek and Zip replaced their entire bike after the race.
And, I just heard the guy with the 'broke' bike was hit by a moto. Sorry, I missed that on the NBC show.

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STIndiana
America Multi-Sport, Inc.
America's Half June 10, 2017
USAT RD Century Club
http://www.americamultisport.com

That's ok, i'm not sure if they showed it on the NBC show, i only know because i was at the awards dinner :)

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-Erik

"I don't half-ass anything. For me its either whole-ass or nothing." -elake

Hey, that girl, Sarah, works for the Challenged Athletes Foundation in San Diego and they have gobs of money and support athletes with disabilities. They are pretty closely tied with triathlon (Tinley's wife runs it) so I'm guessing the bike (as well as her fake leg) is pretty much dialed in to her. Maybe it was her training that slowed her bike split --- just like the rest of us! Or else may be it was her disability that limited her first go at IMH.

"That was very cool of Cannondale."

it was half cool / half business for cannondale, i'm guessing. sarah is a friend of mine, and she comes up here to train every now and then. her original bike was REALLY bad. i explained this to herbert at ABG and he sent her out a QR. now THAT was cool, because herbert had no package in front of him, no expectation of a TV show at kona, nothing but his and his company's knowledge of a need. there was no fanfare, no press release, no expectation that it would come back to them.

if you'll notice over the years, whether it's alexandra paul, or TV reporters, or whomever, they just about always ended up in kona on a kestrel, if they were invited by the organizers and were likely to be part of the TV production. this is because kestrel was the licensee. i remember when the cute san diego TV anchor girl was part of the show (lauren something) and she was basically taken off her QR and put on a kestrel, which sort of pissed me off at the time.

now c'dale is the licensee. i don't know exactly how it went down, and who contacted whom, what was discussed, recommended, offered, strongly encouraged, i just don't know. and i don't think anyone did anything wrong. my reason for posting is to clarify--if you want to point to a company that did something entirely for the reasons you'd like to think were in play here, ABG did so, and did not ask for credit, and has not complained that it got no credit.

as to her set up on her c'dale, or her QR (a tequilo i think it was), sarah is an interesting case. she has two $30,000 legs, one for running, one for cycling. yes, this is what CAS does, it provides funds for orthotics like these. she pays for everything else, except for sponsored stuff (also, louis garneau supplied helmet and cycling shoes, on the same basic impulse that herbert was working under). her leg wasn't amputated, it was withered from birth. so, there's a lack of musculature all the way up, which makes things really tough for her versus an amputee who's got "standard" musculature from the trunk/glutes on down. sometimes i think that, for cycling, her leg length on her prosthetic side isn't long enough. but i'd need to work with her to know.

as to the remark that she ought to be on the hottie thread, that is exactly the truth. there are two kinds of people in this world. the kind that get better looking as you get to know them, and the kind that get uglier the more they speak. sarah starts out hot when you first look at her, and her numerical score climbs from there the more you get to know her. and, she's absolutely ripped, which never hurts.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

I like that Herbert guy.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Sarah is an amputee... she was born with a tissue disorder which resulted in a limb deficiency and her left leg was amputated above the knee when she was 6 or 7 so that she could be fitted with a prosthetic. I believe she told some of the story on the IM show. Regardless, because of that she doesn't really have any quads or hamstring to speak of. If you could find a way to help her utilize the muscles on the left side of her body (what remains of her quads, hams and glutes) and make her prosthetic limb more effective I'm sure the benefit would be huge for her because right now it looks like essentially she's doing a one-leg drill for 112 miles. Can you imagine doing that?!

Watching her miss the cut-off brought a tear to my eye.

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___________________________________



http://irondad06.blogspot.com/

http://irondad.blogspot.com/

You are sure right about Sarah being a hottie and a stud. Chatted with her at Wildflower this year and she is really something. A great role model for all athletes to look up to ("challenged" or not).

"Sarah is an amputee"

yes, i should've clarified, sarah is an amputee for similar reasons that rudy is an amputee. my intention was to describe the challenge sarah has that those don't have whose musculature is fully developed, and has lost a leg via some element of trauma. i used to ride with jim pennsyres on wednesdays when i lived in san diego county, and he lost a leg just above the knee in vietnam. but you'd better be on your game when riding with him, or he'll whip your butt.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

{it was half cool / half business for cannondale,}-reply

i think it was all cool. a lot of bike companies could have stepped up to the plate that were in kona (includiing ABG i presume) but they didn't. sure it doesn't hurt cannondale's image but they didn't have to do it. and nobody else did.

Yeah, from seeing Sarah ride it seems to me that she's basically one legging it. I believe that amputees who were previously fully developed have a more balanced pedal stroke. Her right leg is ripped!!

The bike looked like a custom painted pinkish C'dale road bike with clip-ons.

Sarah is definitely a hottie. No doubt, and totally ripped. I've got a crush.

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*****
"In case of flood climb to safety"

We did not step up to the plate indeed in Kona, we helped her out and sent her a new QR Tequilo earlier this summer for the 2004 season. :-)

Herbert
QR / Litespeed

Below is a pic of her very happy with her QR.

I'm with Slowman on this. The publicity Cannondale got over "giving" him a new bike far outweighs the cost for them to have done it.

Cannondale had a few people on the pink custom-painted Ironman 6000s - including Sarah, Lokelani McMicheal and Tracey Richardson (who posts here...) Good of them to do, and smart from a marketing perspective to boot.

They also sponsored Ryan Suttor (another smart move), I'm sure that will bring out the haters in this forum...

[reply][quote]
her leg wasn't amputated, it was withered from birth. so, there's a lack of musculature all the way up, which makes things really tough for her versus an amputee who's got "standard" musculature from the trunk/glutes on down. sometimes i think that, for cycling, her leg length on her prosthetic side isn't long enough. but i'd need to work with her to know. [/quote]


Sarah is an amputee... she was born with a tissue disorder which resulted in a limb deficiency and her left leg was amputated above the knee when she was 6 or 7 so that she could be fitted with a prosthetic. I believe she told some of the story on the IM show. Regardless, because of that she doesn't really have any quads or hamstring to speak of. If you could find a way to help her utilize the muscles on the left side of her body (what remains of her quads, hams and glutes) and make her prosthetic limb more effective I'm sure the benefit would be huge for her because right now it looks like essentially she's doing a one-leg drill for 112 miles. Can you imagine doing that?!

Watching her miss the cut-off brought a tear to my eye.[/reply]

I wondering about that. So all of her power/pedaling is essentially done with one leg?

It was sad to see her not make the cutoff, hopefully she will make it next year.

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-----------------------:)
SUPPORT OPERATION REBOUND:
http://www.operationreboundcalifornia.kintera.org/ejs3

Kestrel Syndicate
Macca Fan Club

Please pass on our congratulations and our thanks to this amazing woman. Just getting to the start line of an Ironman is impressive for any athlete and even more so when it's Kona and when you have so many obstacles. We all know that she will finish this race one day and the finish line will be so much more sweet because of how difficult it was for her.

Kudos to QR and any company that helps out athletes in need, whether they're getting publicity or not.

D.

Quick question: Does anyone know if Sarah plans on doing Kona again, perhaps in 2005? I would love to see her give it another go!

Did sarah qualify for KONA or did she get in via dif way. Ethier way an amazing story and someone we should all look up to.

Dan

I bought this month's issue of Runnner's World solely for the article on her. I have her picture up as inspiration. If she can do all that she has with her handicap, I have no reason for not dragging my fat butt out to run no matter what the weather is like or how much I don't feel like running.



THANK YOU Sarah.

Sarah qualified for Kona at the Buffalo Springs Half IM, which is the only race that has slots for PC athletes.

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Mike Plumb, TriPower MultiSports
Professional Running, Cycling and Multisport Coaching, F.I.S.T. Certified
http://www.tripower.org

slacked off, huh ;)

I'm assuming she got in this way:

Physically Challenged Division - A lottery category is available for physically challenged athletes not eligible for the hand cycle division. Physically challenged athletes must complete the application and are required to submit a resume detailing results of any ½ distance or greater (1.2 mi. swim, 56 mi. bike, 13.1 run) events in the current season, with printed results. Applications must be received in the Kona race office prior to February 29, 2004. PC Lottery results will be available on April 15, 2004, and five slots will be drawn. Athletes must check their division on the physically challenged division sheet and attach it to your application. For more information, call the Kona race office at 808-329-0063.

Way to go Sarah! (Herbert too for the QR.)

clm

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

She qualified at Buffalo Springs. Any of y'all familiar with or have done that course? Ever tried a one-legged climb?!

Go to http://www.kreutzphotography.com/ , then "buy pictures", then "multisport" then find "Buffalo Springs" and enter her last name.

Look at the pictures of her climbing, and then look at Chann McRae's or James Bonney's climbing pictures. You'll see that that's one tough climb, and one impressive woman.

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___________________________________



http://irondad06.blogspot.com/

http://irondad.blogspot.com/

I thought it was just a freaky coincidence that two of NBC's "features" would ride the same pink bike.

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

holy crap that climb does look brutal, especially with one leg, I can't imagine how hard it must've been for her...

The Bachelor guy was also on a Cannondale (black with blue flames). The pink Cannondales were different though, one had aero tubing while the other had round.

<< a lot of bike companies could have stepped up to the plate that were in kona (includiing ABG i presume) but they didn't. sure it doesn't hurt cannondale's image but they didn't have to do it. and nobody else did.

not entirely true. As usual people make assumptions without really knowing what is actually going on. Because Sarah was going to be featured on the telecast and because Cannondale is the official Ironman licensee, she was told she had to be on a Cannondale, or not be featured. This whole story is kind of like an iceberg, just a little bit showing on the surface and a lot more beneath it.

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Mike Plumb, TriPower MultiSports
Professional Running, Cycling and Multisport Coaching, F.I.S.T. Certified
http://www.tripower.org

Hi everyone,

De-lurking for a moment. As the Events and Donor Relations Manager for the Challenged Athletes Foundation, I'd like to thank you guys for the bit of PR this thread has given us. We have supported Sarah Reinertsen in 2004 and other years, as well as many other athletes in her position or similar. It's true that the adaptive equipment needed for these athletes is very expensive, and we can sometimes fund a small part of a prosthetic, a handcylce or training expenses. I certainly wish we had gobs of money, but the truth is every year we must turn away many deserving athletes because of lack of funds. Our Foundation has experienced tremendous growth, making us visible to challenged athletes worldwide as a source of funding. Each and every donation is much appreciated, and 80% of all income goes directly toward the athletes.

Sarah's attempt at Ironman has inspired many female challenged athletes to go beyond their bodies and fulfill their dreams. Soon every Ironman will have above knee female amputees dotting the field!

Emily Constantini, also Mike Plumb's GF

<< Emily Constantini, also Mike Plumb's GF

you wanna talk about a hottie. blonde hair, blue eyes, svelte body, ironman triathlete. it does't get much bettter than this :-)

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Mike Plumb, TriPower MultiSports
Professional Running, Cycling and Multisport Coaching, F.I.S.T. Certified
http://www.tripower.org

Oh my, where is the post, enough with the fantasizing.

you'll have to go find it yourself, it's in this thread http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...earch_string;#139069

post #101

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Mike Plumb, TriPower MultiSports
Professional Running, Cycling and Multisport Coaching, F.I.S.T. Certified
http://www.tripower.org

Are you going to do another fund raising race this year on the island?

Dirtball aka Thom

Thom,



I'll answer for Em since you is on vacation now and I don't let her use my PC much ;-)

If you mean this year, as in what's left of 2004, no, there isn't any more events planned. But for 2005 they will once again stage Ironman Revisited on the island of Oahu in August. Are you thinking about going?

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Mike Plumb, TriPower MultiSports
Professional Running, Cycling and Multisport Coaching, F.I.S.T. Certified
http://www.tripower.org

Cannondale sponsored three "charity" athletes at Ironman this year. We were each given pink custom painted, Hawaiian themed Ironman bikes to race with.

Not sure how the other two girls found their bikes but mine was AMAZING!

You can read about Cannondales support of their "Charity Girls"us here.

http://www.cannondale.com/bikes/bikeword/add_news_248.html

Tracey Richardson - cure4cf.com

hey tracey,

just watched the kona race again this morning while on my trainer and again, your story brought me to tears. just wanted to share with you how much of an inspiration you are to us triathletes and parents. your kids are very lucky to have you. i wish you and your family the best of luck. our prayers are with you.

justin

Maybe my perspective is out of whack but here's what I see:

1. athlete qualifies for the Ironman World Championship Race in Hawaii on a bike (awesome for her)

2. athlete races on different bike at Kona in order to have her story featured on the network broadcast. Potentially getting additional publicity for groups that sponsor her (CAF) and other athletes like her (awesome for her and them)

3. athlete misses bike cutoff riding a different bike than she qualified on (bad for Cannondale).

It's not as if she was already riding a beater (IT WAS A QR TEQUILO!). She didn't need the Cannondale bike to race her best. Hey, I think it's great when people help other people; but how many of you would jump on a new bike for the biggest race of your season? The publicity for challenged athletes all over is great. This seems like a black eye for Cannondale.

Fifth string - I have to disagree with that. You're assuming that the bike made her not make the cutoff. That's a big leap.

Tracey - thanks for the link and congratulations to you too! Very inspiring story. I was crying through it all. Best wishes to you and your family.

D.

Hello,

Under your scenario it would give cannondale a black eye. However, if she had to qualify it was at a half not a full. Also IMH is a tough bike course. Finally, how many people know which bike she road to qualify vs IMH. Its hardly going to cost Cannondale many sales.



Styrrell

She rode the QR at Buffalo Springs-see earlier post with a link to the photos.

I don't think that it will cost Cannondale any sales, if anything it will help.

My point was that if the goal is to finish the race, why switch gear mid season. Maybe she didn't like the set-up she had? Maybe the Cannondale was better for her? Who knows, but Mike's post earlier implied that in order to be featured on the broadcast, she needed to be on a Cannondale. Having to ride a different bike just to be on the broadcast sucks, and thats what irked me about the whole thing.

I'd like to add my congratulations to you too for all your accomplishments, I'm nowhere near the level of doing an ironman and to be able to juggle your family and training is absolutely inspiring! You're amazing!