inMotion Magazine

July | August 2018 18 The fact that so few people have completed the 777 challenge is testament to how insane such an undertaking would be for just about anyone. The event began on January 30, in the Antarctic summer, with a race-time temperature of -3 degrees Fahrenheit. How could anyone even prepare for such torture? “It’s possible to physically prepare the body for multiple days of work,” Sarah says. “But although I had a lot of training in Southern California, I wasn’t able to get much cold weather training. When I was in Antarctica, I made a decision on the fly to switch to the half- marathon. Because of the issues I was having on the ice, I could feel my energy being sapped and I thought, ‘This is the first day of a seven-day race.’ I fell several times on the ice and the splint came off a finger that I ruptured prior to the race. So when I came around on the second lap I said to the race director, ‘You can officially switch me to the half-marathon option.’” “I’m still the first amputee to do what I did,” she adds, “so I’m leaving it for the next amputee who wants to do seven fulls. It’s still out there for someone. The challenge is open to the next amputee to do all seven.” The day after Antarctica found Sarah and her fellow racers in Cape Town, South Africa, where the daytime high reached 77 degrees. Following a complete 13.1 miles, she was on to Perth, Australia, then Dubai, then Lisbon, Portugal, then Cartagena, Colombia, where temperatures throughout the race hovered around 90 degrees, and finally Miami, Florida, where it was 82 degrees at noon with 70 percent humidity. Ultimately, Sarah ran 91.7 miles, seven half marathons in a week across 14 times zones and all four hemispheres. Given all the firsts, all the records, all the honors and awards, one might wonder what’s next for Sarah. How do you top running on every continent of the world in a week? “Well, actually,” she says, “I’m going to be racing the Ironman once again. It’s the 40th anniversary of the race and I’m going back to Kona this year [October], where all my endurance dreams started. And I’m going back with all this new technology. My goal this time is to break 15 hours. I finished in 15:05 the last time I was there, and I would really like to break 15.” Sarah’s chosen sport is almost the definition of a solo activity. On the road and in the water, no matter how many athletes are in the pack, the runner/biker/ swimmer is completely alone in his or her endeavor. In that regard, Sarah believes the amputee athlete might have an advantage over the able-bodied. “Part of sports is mental toughness,” she explains. “That’s where I think we often have the edge. We’ve come through trauma and had to adapt. I’ve had races where I’ve had a total mental meltdown and had to fight through it. Mental toughness is what’s gotten me through. And I think it’s important for readers to know that the mental toughness I’m talking about isn’t unique to me as an Ironman or a Paralympian. Every amputee has had to tap into it. And it’s like a muscle – if you don’t use it, it’s going to atrophy. You have to keep tapping into your mental toughness to keep it in shape.” In addition to her positive representation of amputee athletes, Sarah has also been a source of inspiration and a model for women in sports: “Part of why I got involved with Ironman is that I kept seeing one-legged dudes do the race. Even within the limb loss community I had to shift what they believed a woman could do. That’s partly why I pivoted away from the Paralympics, because there just weren’t a lot of opportunities for women. But marathons happen every weekend … and the racing community is welcoming of athletes with disabilities. Granted, there’s still work to be done. When the list came out of athletes with disabilities who qualified for this year’s Ironman, I was the only female on it. I’m certainly not the only woman changing minds and expectations. Many more women have pushed barriers, but we still have a long way to go.” On a more personal level, you might wonder how Sarah has come to exude such confidence in her own body. In 2009 she was featured in the inaugural Body Issue of ESPN The Magazine, in the buff, mind you, amid Part of sports is mental toughness. That’s where I think we often have the edge. Photo courtesy of Solveig Fuente Photo courtesy of Don Reinertsen