Sometimes the most impressive athletes are not the ones with the superstar status, swag and skill. Instead, it’s ordinary people, pushing to do the impossible for whatever the reason.
Meet Minda Dentler, a 36-year-old New Yorker who is the director of operations in a multinational group for an insurance giant and an inspirational paratriathlete.
Dentler’s rise to fame came last year when she earned the title of first official female handcyclist to complete the grueling Ironman World Championship. She finished the one-day endurance event in 14 hours, 39 minutes, 14 seconds. Each year, only a few handcyclists qualify for the Championship, consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run.
Less than a month following her big Ironman win, Dentler won the handcycle division of the New York City Marathon. Those two feats helped earn her a nomination for ESPN’s 2014 ESPY award for best female athlete with a disability.
“It’s surreal,” she said of her whirlwind journey to the podium and resulting recognition.
Dentler is returning to the race where history was made, but this time, her goal isn’t merely to finish, which was all she wanted to do last October. During this Saturday’s Championship, Dentler is determined to improve upon her last performance while also raising awareness about polio and its eradication. She spoke about her commitment to Rotary International’s Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which has helped more than 2.5 billion children get immunized with polio vaccines since 1988.
“Polio is a completely preventable disease, and we’re closer than ever to eliminating it everywhere in the world, with new cases down 99 percent since the initiative started,” she said.
Growing up, Dentler knew she was different from most other kids. She was born in Bombay, India, contracted polio as an infant, which paralyzed both of her legs, and was left in the care of an orphanage. At age 3, Dentler was adopted by a Spokane, Wash., couple who raised her with two children of their own and her adopted brother from Korea.
Dentler underwent painful surgeries that allowed her to walk with braces and crutches at age 5, an experience she doesn’t remember, but thinks is “pretty liberating.”
Despite her disability, Dentler said her parents gave her no special treatment. Instead, she had to do the same things as her siblings, even if it meant dragging a mop around to clean the floor.
“Early on, they taught me that I can be independent and that I can do what I want to do and I can be who I want to be,” she said.
Still, when it came to youth activities, Dentler said she participated in things that didn’t require use of her legs, such as music and debate. As for sports, she was on the sidelines, watching her siblings compete or volunteering at races.
Playing sports seemed impossible for Dentler until she turned 28. That’s when a friend introduced her to Achilles International, an organization that enables people with disabilities to participate in sports.
Achilles International introduced her to “an amazing community of challenged athletes,” including Dick Traum, the first amputee to complete the NYC Marathon in 1976, and well-known paratriathlete Jason Fowler. Inspired by their stories, Dentler said she saw the possibility of her participating in sports.
Dentler got her first handcycle from Achilles and a racing wheelchair from the Challenged Athletes Foundation. After giving handcyling a try, she switched to triathlon, joined a tri club and got a coach. Within six years, she won two USA National Triathlon titles and completed 25 triathlon and road races. Dentler said her first Ironman Distance Triathlon was in Louisville two years ago.
“It was a very long day and one with many lessons, including never give up,” she said.
As a paratriathlete, Dentler relies solely on her upper body to propel her through a triathlon. During the swim, she uses a wet suit for buoyancy and to help keep her legs straight. She uses a handcycle for the bike portion and a racing wheelchair for the run. Besides managing her energy, pace, effort and nutrition, Dentler tries “to keep a good mind, body and spirit.”
She admits to talking to herself the entire time. “I say anything and everything to get to the next mile,” she added.
Dentler credits her family, friends, sponsors and coaches for her success. She also expressed gratitude for Hawaii Island residents, the Ironman community, its volunteers and supporters who help make Saturday’s race amazing. She said the cheers along the race course definitely encourage her. Her biggest cheerleaders on the big day will be her entire family, which has flown over, and she looks forward to their mini-reunion.
No matter the result at day’s end, Dentler said she hopes to be a positive role model by proving how life can be like a triathlon.
“With preparation, planning, support, and the will to try and succeed, any goal is achievable,” she said.
