I flipped open my Jan. 27 NY Times magazine to find Paralympian Sarah Reinertsen in a two-page ad for the new 2008 Lincoln MKZ. As the first female amputee to compete in the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Hawaii, she is a good fit for the Lincoln ad campaign, which is "Reach Higher." She holds the world record in the half marathon (2:12) and the marathon (5:27) for above-knee amputee women. Reinertsen was born with a bone-growth disorder and her left leg was amputated above the knee when she was 7.
Her statement in the ad copy reads: "My parents always treated me like any other kid. And when I fell, my mom didn't always rush to pick me up. 'Sarah's going to pick herself up.' It was a really important lesson for me to learn. For me to keep up, I always had to be tougher than the rest. And I think that's still true today."
