508. Jenna Fesemyer, Team USA Wheelchair Athlete

Ali on the Run Show

Ali Feller

Run, Health & Fitness, Women, Inspiration, Runner, Entrepreneur, Sports, Fitness, Health, Running

4.9 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 14 April 2022

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

"Doctors said when I was born that I would be the last one to sit up, the last one to crawl, the last one to stand and walk. Well, I was the first to do all those things."

Jenna Fesemyer was born with a birth defect called proximal femoral focal deficiency, where one leg is shorter than the other. At one year old, she had her foot amputated. And she immediately defied her doctors' expectations. As a teenager, she discovered wheelchair racing, and now, she's a Paralympian who represented Team USA in Tokyo last summer. (The Paralympic marathon was just the beginning of Jenna's fall marathon season: She then raced the London, Chicago, Boston, and New York City Marathons.) This weekend, Jenna heads to Boston where she will race in the professional women's wheelchair division in both the B.A.A. 5K on Saturday and the Boston Marathon on Monday. Jenna is sponsored by Oiselle, and she is currently studying education policy at the University of Illinois (and she'll begin her doctorate program in the fall!).

SPONSOR: Shokz — Use code OTR15 for 15% off wireless headphones.

What you’ll get on this episode:

What’s making Jenna happy right now (3:50)
All about wheelchair racing and training safety (4:45)
Jenna’s plans for Boston Marathon weekend, and why she’s able to race so frequently (7:20)
Reflecting on the 2021 Boston Marathon (16:30)
All about Jenna’s childhood, and living with proximal femoral focal deficiency (20:10)
How Jenna got into wheelchair racing (24:40)
Jenna explains her positioning in her chair (32:30)
Jenna’s Paralympic dreams, and the choices and sacrifices she has had to make to pursue them (34:20)
How Jenna became a Oiselle-sponsored athlete (41:20)
What Jenna wishes people understood about adaptive athletes (43:00)
How to spot Jenna at the Boston Marathon (51:50)

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode of The Alley on the Run Show is brought to you by Shocks.
0:03.9	Go to Shocks.com slash on the run and use code OTR15 to save 15% on all wireless headphones.
0:17.1	Welcome to The Alley on the Run Show. I'm your host Allie Feller and every week
0:22.2	I talk with people who are doing exciting things on the run and beyond.
0:26.2	We all share that love for running and that's what brings us all together.
0:30.5	But of course there is so much more to life than what happens on the run itself.
0:35.2	And the show is about the in-betweens. We're talking about the moments and decisions
0:39.7	that have shaped who we are today and the wise. Why do we do what we do and how does getting sweaty
0:45.7	factor in? Well, I am the real to welcome Paralympian Jenna Fessmeyer to The Alley on the Run Show
0:54.0	today. Jenna is a tremendous athlete and oh my gosh she is a downright delightful human being.
1:01.9	Jenna was born with a birth defect called proximal femoral vocal deficiency.
1:06.9	That's essentially when one leg is shorter than the other. When she was just one year old,
1:11.9	Jenna had her foot amputated and that did not slow her down one bit.
1:16.9	Jenna defied her doctor's expectations and eventually discovered wheelchair racing.
1:21.6	Last year, Jenna's dreams came true when she made team USA and competed at the Tokyo Paralympics.
1:29.0	The Tokyo Marathon at the Paralympics was just the start of Jenna's fall racing season.
1:33.7	She went on to complete the London, Chicago, Boston and New York City Marathons as well.
1:40.4	This weekend, Jenna will race twice. She'll compete in the BAA 5K on Saturday morning
1:46.8	and then she'll be racing the Boston Marathon on Monday. This was such a fun one. I learned a ton.
1:53.4	Jenna, thank you for both the entertainment and the education. Now please join me in welcoming
1:59.6	Wazel Athlete Jenna Fessmeyer to The Alley on the Run Show.
2:09.7	All right, so I wasn't recording when we first opened up this call,
	...

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