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In a Single Bound: Losing My Leg, Finding Myself, and Training for Life

Sarah Reinertsen,

Alan Goldsher (Goodreads Author)

3.91 · Rating details · 133 ratings · 27 reviews

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.

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Hardcover, 256 pages

Published September 1st 2009 by GPP Life (first published 2009)

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· 133 ratings · 27 reviews

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Dec 26, 2011 Melissa rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2010s

Book seemed to be thrown together, and just when I really wanted more, the authors skip from riding on a bike trainer to competing in Kona. We are missing a lot in those months. I thought they did a good job of explaining the challenges of Kona, but not enough about the difficulty of qualifying for it. Kona isn't just another triathlon. it is THE triathlon. All that said, Sarah is an amazing inspiration to all triathletes, disabled or not. ...more

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Oct 15, 2011 Docmartn rated it really liked it

A friend of mine who personally knows Sarah gave me a copy of the book. It's well written and a pretty quick read. While reading the book there were several times I thought "Sarah sure was lucky to be here" or "that was lucky she met her" - but in hindsight I think Sarah is a very prepared and determined person. What was it that Seneca said "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” I hope to meet Sarah in person some day soon. Sarah is one of the good guys. ...more

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Nov 29, 2016 Amy rated it it was amazing

after meeting Sarah, I couldn't wait to get started reading her book! Awesome easy read that truly gives insight to he struggles early on, how to continually worked to overcome obstacles and developed that Don't Quit attitude. ...more

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Mar 30, 2018 Linda rated it liked it

This was pretty good as biography’s go.

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Nov 10, 2011 Carin rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: memoir, sports, women-authors, medical

Sarah Reinertsen's memoir of growing up and dealing with being an amputee is inspiring and fascinating. I kept reading bits out loud to my boyfriend which is always a good sign.

Sarah was born with a birth defect that left her left leg much shorter and it was never really going to grow. When she was still a little kid, she had the leg amputated. Her parents worked multiple jobs to pay for her many, many prostheses (insurance paid for the first one), and never limited her in any way. However, her Sarah Reinertsen's memoir of growing up and dealing with being an amputee is inspiring and fascinating. I kept reading bits out loud to my boyfriend which is always a good sign.

Sarah was born with a birth defect that left her left leg much shorter and it was never really going to grow. When she was still a little kid, she had the leg amputated. Her parents worked multiple jobs to pay for her many, many prostheses (insurance paid for the first one), and never limited her in any way. However, her father was abusive, both physically and emotionally. Luckily Sarah found a way to deal with the physical and emotional trauma: through sport, as well as therapy.

She began running and represented the United States in the paralympics in the 100 m and 200 m sprints. In para-events, like-disabled compete against like, so the single amputees compete against the single amputees, the double amputees against the double, the blind against the blind, etc. However, Sarah frequently found that in competitions, even at the very top levels, there often weren't enough single amputees and so she would be combined with other groups and end up competing again people with two legs, and sometimes her event would be cut altogether. She decided to switch events and try for distance instead. She signed up to do a 5K and after that, there was no stopping her. After multiple marathons, she figured she'd try for the Ironman, oh and also compete in The Amazing Race along the way.

Her story is of course inspiring, but it's not just a sappy, sweet tale of a cute kid overcoming difficulties. Sarah is a very real and relatable person. She has flaws and issues just like all of us. I liked how upfront she was about the abuse, and also about the amputation. To be honest, many of us two-legged people who read a book like this, it's to find out what it's like to live as an amputee, and Sarah really conveyed that well, from the difficulties with different prosthetics to the practicality of dealing with them daily and how much they break, to the fact that she really doesn't like her partial leg and how uncomfortable it's been for her over the years to deal with in romantic relationships. Sarah may be both tougher (I took 30 minutes longer to complete my first marathon) and wimpier (boy she cries a lot) than me, but in the end, I felt like we could be friends. She comes across as a very genuine, open person. ...more

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May 11, 2015 Cayla Attwood rated it it was amazing

I recently read the book, In a Single Bound. The time frame of the book covers about 23 years of the author’s life. The main character, author of the memoir, is Sarah. Sarah is an amputee world class runner, and an amazing person all around. An important figure in Sarah’s book is David Balsley, who occurs a lot throughout the story. He has ran with her, and gave her a lot of support multiple times throughout her life. Sarah experiences a life changing disability caused by proximal femoral focal ...more

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Mar 27, 2013 Jenny Hilborne rated it really liked it

In a Single Bound is the story of Sarah Reinertsen, born with a congenital birth defect that resulted in an above-the-knee amputation of her left leg at age seven.

The book documents her struggles and follows her story as an accomplished athlete. Determined to succeed in her sport, Sarah gives the reader a look into the challenges she endured and the realities amputees must face, from societal attitudes to image, plus other issues such as insurance, prosthetics. She also shows the reader the pos ...more

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Nov 05, 2009 Tara Chevrestt rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, arc, memoir

What a woman! I admire Sarah for her strength and determination. I had never heard of her before coming across this book but now I will be watching for her. She has let nothing stand in her way and everytime life has thrown a hurdle her way she hasn't given up, but kept trying over and over again. She lost her leg at age seven due to a disease she was born with in which one leg is severely shorter than the other. After the age of seven, she had fake leg after fake leg, and all very different fro ...more

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Mar 18, 2012 Krusher Basta rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: running

I knew this book would be inspirational, and it was. I remember watching the television broadcast of the 2005 Ironman Championships and being deeply moved by Sarah’s spirit and determination. What surprised me about the book is how open and honest she is about her life off the playing field. Sarah has had more obstacles to overcome than just here amputated left leg. She shares how she dealt with these various issues; and it was not always in a manner in which she could be proud. But like her pro ...more

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Nov 01, 2010 David rated it really liked it

very enjoyable memoir, mostly concerning the run-up to her successful completion (on second try) of the Hawaii Ironman world champs triathlon as a single-leg amputee. Also describes her completion of New York marathon, her season on the Amazing Race, and her difficult childhood in a conflictual family environment.

It is inspirational, but I think one thing that made reading the book enjoyable is that she paints a human self-portrait, so it's not all just aphorisms and "don't give up" slogans. ...more

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Feb 22, 2010 Rebecca rated it it was amazing

What an inspirational narrative about a woman who wanted to be an elite despite having a condition which allowed only one leg to grow normally. Though no the most literary prose, the story speaks for itself. Any time I feel like complaining about my bad performance from now on, I'll keep Sarah in mind: a woman who pushed herself to the limit to achieve her goals, letting nothing stand in her way, not even a disability. ...more

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Mar 09, 2016 Dave S rated it liked it

Her story deserves 5 stars but the book only 3. Way too little depth on her personal life or the training involved for the Ironman. The book also had very little more than she tells in her 30" speeches. ...more

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Aug 26, 2012 Conner Colosi rated it liked it

Read this for a paper I had to write. While the concept of an amputee marathon runner is inspirational, the material in this book was not particularly fascinating. The book is very autobiographical, but don't expect a feel-good story of triumph over adversity. ...more

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Sep 16, 2013 Solveig rated it it was amazing

She is amazing not only doing what she did but she also helps so many others by showing them to not give up! No excuses " Fear less live more " I love her motto. Sarah is a pioneer in amputee sports especially for women. Thanks Sarah! ...more

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Dec 22, 2011 Becca rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, true-adventure

I really loved this book! What an inspirational story.

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Jan 01, 2012 Angie rated it it was amazing

Sarah's story is inspirational and her writing style is witty and engaging. ...more

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May 14, 2011 Steven rated it really liked it

All I can say is that if Sarah can perform all of these athletic endeavors on one normal leg...then why can't I? Very inspirational. ...more

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Sep 10, 2012 Lora rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A strong feel good inspirational read. And yes, I cried.

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Jul 18, 2013 Amber rated it really liked it

Great story of perseverance. She details her successes and failures. Really enjoyed her story and the writing style of this book. Her voice comes thru and by the end you feel like you know her.

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