One-Legged Triathlete Inspires Boston Bombing Survivors

For 10 years, San Juan Capistrano resident and triathlete Sarah Reinertsen has been encouraging those with without legs to see past their limitations at “mobility clinics” sponsored by Challenged Athletes Foundation of San Diego.

But a recent Sunday clinic was different. Even having worked with soldiers, never before had she stood in front of a such a large group of amputees resulting from the same incident.

The Boston Marathon.

Three people died and more than 260 were injured in May when two pressure cooker bombs exploded seconds apart near the finish line in what the UK Mirror called the second worst act of terror on U.S. soil since 9/11.

About 50 amputees – including many survivors of the Boston Marathon bombings – showed up Oct. 6 to a wet athletic field at Harvard University to hear from mentor Reinertsen, maybe most famous for a stint as a one-legged competitor on The Amazing Race.

Many of the victims weren’t runners, she noted. They were spectators, cheering on loved ones running the race. They weren’t necessarily athletes themselves.

And they’re dealing with all sorts of other injuries connected to the bombing – shrapnel wounds and loss of hearing, for example, Reinertsen said.

But even if they don’t have plans to join Reinertsen at the San Diego Triathlon in La Jolla Sunday or at the New York Marathon in November, they still have to become athletes in their own right.

That’s because amputees who wear prosthetic legs end up taking in 40 percent more oxygen and expending twice the amount of energy just to get around, she said.

“Putting on a prosthetic leg every day … it’s not the simplest, easiest thing all the time,” Reinertsen said.

As she stood before them, she didn’t want to put undue pressure on them to become marathon runners or triathletes. But she did want them to see past their current circumstances.

One of the best things about sports as an amputee is that it takes you “out of your head,” Reinertsen said. “We all need a way to sweat it out.”

Clearly, some of the Boston Marathon victims aren’t ready. With the incident not six months in the past, many have stumps still adjusting to the demands, she said. They often shrink, then grow with muscle, then settle in.

But one woman was ready. Heather Abbott, who had her left leg amputated after the marathon explosions, had already gotten used to life with several prosthetics: one for everyday use, one for swimming and one for high heels, according to the Associated Press.

On Oct. 5, she received one for running, the blade technology made famous by Olympian Oscar Pistorius. It was donated by a Foothill Ranch-based company, Össur Americas.

“It was really great to be able to witness [the marathon victims] take their first steps and Heather do her first run,” Reinertsen said.

While they may not end up athletes, Reinertsen is hoping they’ll all soon be able to run – to look after a child they're babysitting or to catch a bus. All of the things they were counting on being able to do before April. 15.