News

14 september 2009

Team Össur member Sandy Dukat tells Ossur what she’s conquered in 2009!

A message from Sandy Dukat:  Both the winter & summer of 2009 have been an incredible journey for me.  After the first of the year, I had my first marathon planned.  On January 18, 2009 I ran the Phoenix Rock N’ Roll Marathon in 4:40.46.  What an incredible journey leading up to this race.  My favorite part was watching my training times drop and see how far I could push my limits.  So you can only imagine the glory I felt when I crossed that finish line well within my goals set out for that race in January.

Team Össur members Sarah Reinertsen, Sandy Dukat, and Össur Ambassador Scout Bassett

After the marathon, it was hard to think what I could do next to compare to that experience.  Even though my work life keeps me extremely busy, I found time to train for Escape from Alcatraz.  So for my first time, I took that boat ride with 2000 fellow triathletes to Alcatraz & jumped in to swim to shore.  After a great swim, it was time to attack the hilly roads of San Francisco.  I was determined to conquer this section as I was anxious about the hills.  However, the bike course was not near the challenge the run would soon present.  After miles of trail running, it was time to face the beach & the dreaded 400 sand steps.  Beach running could possibly be the biggest challenge for any amputee- thank goodness, the distance was short.  Again, crossing the finish line after Escape truly reminded me how thankful I am to have such amazing opportunities to test my abilities.

My summer has concluded with the Para-Triathlon Championships in NYC.  Finally, the weather conditions were ideal for a fast race & that is exactly what I set out to do.  After my swim, I realized I didn’t have my best swim ever so I knew I had to have a fast bike.  For me, I did just that however, when I got through transition, I had one hour left to break that 3 hour mark.  I cannot tell you the energy I put into my run to do just that- however, I came up short and finished just 3 minutes after that 3 hour mark.  Some day I will be there.

For now, my goals are to do Hood To Coast next week then compete at the Westchester Triathlon in September and finish my fall with a half-marathon with my goal set to go under 2 hours. Regardless of the finish, I am thankful for Össur’s support that allows me to test these limits and push myself harder & harder.

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