Amputee Runner Pushes the Limits

Dec. 5, 2004 — -- Sarah Reinertsen remembers growing up feeling different than other kids.

She was born with a rare tissue disorder that made one of her legs much shorter than the other. When she was seven, her left leg was amputated.

"I always remember that it was tough for me to keep up, especially when it came to sports," said Reinsertsen. "So I never really thought I could be an athlete or that I could be on a team. I just didn't feel like I was any good."

But that all changed when she was 11 and met an amputee marathon runner named Paddy Rossbach.

"It was like, wow, you mean I can dream of being an athlete? You mean that's possible for me?" said Reinertsen.

And Reinertsen didn't just dream of becoming an athlete. She did it.

Running with a special prosthetic "leg," Reinertsen, 30, has set five world records for above-the-knee amputee athletes in competitions from sprints to marathons. This month, she became the first disabled female featured on the cover of Runner's World magazine.

And just as Rossbach mentored her, Reinertsen now does the same for 16-year-old Scout Bassett.

"It provides me with so much encouragement and inspiration," said Bassett.