Para-Athlete Makes History at Kona Ironman

In today’s edition of the "Good Stuff," para-athlete Minda Dentler proves that you can achieve the toughest of goals even in the face of adversity.

How? Well, she competed in the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, until she crossed the finish line. It took her 14 hours and 40 minutes.

In this most difficult of endurance races, even the fittest, most practiced athletes routinely fail to finish. Now, imagine finishing it, without the use of your legs. That’s what Dentler did.

Paralyzed from contracting polio as an infant in India, Dentler was adopted by parents who she credits with instilling in her the will to be independent and achieve any goal.

Now she’s the first female para-athlete to officially complete the Ironman World Championship.

“I think the message is just to focus on the now and that's what I did throughout this race,” Dentler says about the accomplishment.

“I just focused on every moment, the next stroke, the next push on the hand cycle, to the next push on the wheelchair. All I cared about was finishing.”