Sarah Reinertsen to grace the cover of Runners World!
Sarah Reinertsen is the first amputee to grace the cover of Runners World! With a circulation of over 600,000, this serves as one of the largest publications to feature an amputee on the cover!
Earlier this month, Sarah became the first female with a prosthesis to compete at Ironman Kona. She missed the bike cut off by 14 minutes, but plans to go back in 2005 to conquer the beast of Ironman Kona!
This issue of Runners World will be on news stands starting Nov 3rd! Read below for complete details. She is the Program Manager for the Challenged Athletes Foundation and uses her ability as an athlete to help inspire others around the world to not sit on the sidelines! She is also a member of Team Ossur, maker of her advanced prosthesis.
RUNNER’S WORLD SALUTES EIGHT AS FIRST RECIPIENTS
OF MAGAZINE’S NEW "HEROES OF RUNNING" AWARDS
December issue marks debut of annual new honors;
U.S. Olympic medallists Deena Kastor and Meb Keflezighi,
U.S. Marine Major William Maples and triathlete/amputee Sarah Reinertsen lead inaugural group
NEW YORK - U.S. Olympic marathon medallists Deena Kastor and Meb Keflezighi, legendary miler Roger Bannister and five other inspirational runners head the list of eight men and women selected by Runner’s World magazine as their 2004 "Heroes Of Running," a new initiative by the world’s leading running publication designed to honor runners who have achieved something extraordinary or contributed to the sport in a monumental way.
All eight "Heroes Of Running" will be featured in the December issue of Runner’s World, on newsstands November 8. Triathlete and marathoner Sarah Reinertsen, one of the "Heroes" who, in mid-October, became the first female amputee ever to compete in the Ironman World Championships, is featured on the cover.
"Legions of people in the running world deserve recognition for their accomplishments, and many of them often go unnoticed," said Runner’s World Editor-In-Chief David Willey, who led the effort to initiate the annual honor that will result in a special Heroes Issue each December. "There are those who think the word ‘hero’ is used too casually, but the truth is that the hardest part of this undertaking was narrowing down the list of finalists.
"Each member of this group, in addition to their accomplishments, showed courage and strength, and many of them helped save lives. We’re proud to tell their stories."
The inaugural group of Runner’s World’s "Heroes Of Running," each of whom will also receive a specially designed, hand-carved award by Emmaus, PA stonecutter Gareth Lewis, are:
· The Pioneer: Sir Roger Bannister, who 50 years ago this year recorded the first sub-4:00 mile in history.
· The Philanthropist: Bruce Cleland, whose Team In Training running and fundraising program has raised more than $500 million for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society since he founded it 18 years ago.
· The Dreamer: Deena Kastor, who was not considered among the contenders in the Women’s Marathon at the 2004 Olympics but went on to become the first American woman to medal (bronze) in the event since Joan Benoit Samuelson in the inaugural event in 1984.
· The Phenom: Meb Keflezighi, who, two years after running his first-ever marathon in New York City, captured the silver medal in the men’s event in Athens this summer-the first American man to medal in the marathon in 28 years.
· The Marine: Major William Maples, couldn’t make it to California to compete, as planned, in this year’s 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon due to his duty in Iraq. Undeterred, he set up his own "Iraqi Badwater" for the same days, completing the distance in 37 hours, 59 minutes and stopping only once-due to enemy rocket fire.
· The Survivor: Judy Pickett, in May achieved her goal of running her 100th 5k road race-a goal she set in 1998 after undergoing surgery, chemotherapy and radiation for breast cancer. A mother of three who has survived three bouts of breast cancer, she founded the Pink Ribbon Running Club, has raised more than $250,000, and set a personal-record 5K time of 18:48 despite her battles with breast cancer and related treatments.
· The Inspiration: Sarah Reinertsen, had her left leg amputated at age 7 due to a tissue deficiency and was told she would never be able to run. Now 29, she has competed in several marathons, and earlier this month became the first woman ever with a prosthetic leg to compete in the grueling Hawaii Ironman competition.
· The Mentor: Norb Sander, winner of the New York City Marathon in 1974, took over New York’s Fort Washington Armory in 1990-a time when the once-legendary building had turned into a homeless shelter. Sander spearheaded a $17 million effort that has now turned the facility into the New Balance Track & Field Center at the Armory, where 125,000 athletes competed this year and where the dazzling new National Track & Field Hall of Fame opened its doors in January.
For more information on the Runner’s World "Heroes Of Running," interviews with select "Heroes," and jpeg files of the magazine’s cover with Sarah Reinertsen, please contact any member of the Rodale Sports Group publicity team at the top of this release.
About Runner’s World
Recognized as the worldwide authority on running information, the mission of Rodale’s Runner’s World is to inform, educate and inspire runners of all ages and abilities, combined with promoting the sport as a healthy and exciting form of recreation. Currently Runner’s World publishes nine international editions, plus a special bi-annual teen running publication, High School Runner. Runner’s World’s companion web site, www.runnersworld.com, is the largest running community on the internet, featuring interactive, searchable, and targeted content for runners of all ages and abilities.
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