In A Single Bound Losing My Leg Finding

Touching, funny, and honest, In a Single Bound is the story of how a feisty little girl from Long Island became one of the worlds most famous disabled sports figures. A world-class athlete and a celebrated television personality, Sarah Reinertsen not only takes us to the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii, she also provides a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at her season on CBSs The Amazing Race 10, where millions watched her climb up the Great Wall of China, scale the cliffs of Vietnam, and ride horses in the hinterlands of Mongolia.

But In a Single Bound is about more than sports and television. A gripping memoir of inner strength, it is about a one-legged child trying to fit in with her two-legged friends. Its about a girl dealing with an abusive father—the same father who introduced her to another female amputee at a race when she was eleven, which then opened up a whole new world for Sarah. Its about an adolescent girl learning to deal with the media as she became a rising star—a girl mustering the inner strength to go stag to her senior prom, and dealing with body image issues that would turn a typical Gossip Girl into a blubbering mess. Its about Sarahs hard-fought, inspiring quest to become an Ironman. In a Single Bound is about a woman who dared to fear less and live more.

“The impressive story of a woman who will eventually be duly recognized as a pioneer in disabled athletics.“Reinertsen, whom readers may recognize from her 2006 appearance on The Amazing Race, was born with proximal femoral focal deficiency in her left leg – ‘a shortened leg bone thatll never grow.  At age seven, she had part of it amputated so she could use a prosthetic that provided greater mobility.  The author – assisted by veteran ghostwriter Goldsher (co-Author - Dancing to the Music in My Head: Memoirs of the Peoples Idol, 2009, etc) – credits much of her success to the insistence of her parents, both from Norwegian immigrant families, on treating her like a normal kid.  Throughout, her mother is depicted as an endless source of support.  Although her fathers abuse and extramarital affair kept the family in therapy for nearly a decade, he provided a modicum of assistance by seeking out Reinertsens eventual role model, amputee marathoner Paddy Rossbach, at a race near their home in Long Island.  Twelve-year-old Reinertsen marveled at Rossbachs grace and speed, and saw that a “normal,” fulfilled life was possible for amputees.  The author similarly inspires readers with her story, if one can consider her extraordinary experiences normal:  world records for above-knee amputee women in the 100- and 200- meter races, the 1992 Paralympics in Barcelona, multiple academic degrees, the Ironman in Hawaii (she was the first woman to complete it on an artificial leg), interviewing Olympic stars in one of several TV-production gigs, and climbing the Great Wall of China on a hit reality show.  Though the compelling content occasionally descends into the clichéd prose of many commercial inspirations memoirs – with lazy adjectives like “insane amped-ness” and moving/amazing/incredible” – Reinertsens vulnerability and ebullience have a way of sneaking through in passages about intimacy with her first boyfriend (when should she take the leg off?) and how her emotional Ironman triumph helped heal her family.“A must-read for disabled readers seeking inspiration for their dreams, and will hold the interest – and crush the excuses – of those training for marathons and triathlons.” – Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2009

Touching, funny, and honest, "In a Single Bound" is the story of how a feisty little girl from Long Island became one of the world's most famous disabled sports figures. More than a book on sports, this is a gripping memoir of inner strength and perseverance.

Sarah Reinertsen was born with a congenital birth defect. At the age of seven, her leg was amputated.

At the age of thirteen, she broke the 100-meter world record for female above-the-knee amputees. At the age of thirty, she became the first female leg-amputee to complete the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. A year later, in CBSs reality television show The Amazing Race 10, she scaled the Great Wall of China. This book tells her story.

Sarah Reinertsen holds the world record for the marathon for above-knee amputee women and was the first female leg-amputee to complete the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. She appeared in 2006 as a participant in CBSs reality television show The Amazing Race 10. She has competed in triathlons, marathons, and bicycle races throughout America, and regularly gives motivational speeches worldwide. Sarah also leads a series of sports clinics and mentors other athletes with and without disabilities. She has appeared on Good Morning America, Nightline, and The Early Show. Alan Goldsher is the author of seven books, including Hard Bop Academy: The Sidemen of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers and Jam: A Novel. He has collaborated on books with numerous celebrities and public figures.