Imagine lacing up your favorite running shoes and heading to downtown Austin to the hike and bike trail or crossing the finish line at a springtime Race. Now imagine doing either of these activities with your eyes closed. Unfortunately, for many people with visual disabilities or blindness, going for a run is not an option and competing in races has remained a distant dream.

Taking the concept of a seeing eye or guide dog one step further, a new program pairs sighted athletes with visually impaired runners. Running Eyes for the Blind was created to establish a support network of volunteers willing to act as guides, enabling visually impaired runners to participate in a variety of athletic events.

An extraordinary group of blind runners teamed up with 2 "sighted" partners to participate in this year's fun run! You may have seen these teams who donned special RED Bun Run shirts and RED hats.

The names of the runners (and some of their running times) are: Martin Kareithi (28:14.2), Arlo Robinson (33:17.9), Mary Johnson (40:19.0), Brandon Adame (45:35.7), Alan Mackey, Leonel DeLeon, Larry Fyffe, J.R. Young, Willy Dickey, Steven Slatter, Debbie Streeter, Felix Robles, Redwan Ziad, Jose Teran, Houng Hoang, Ajaiba Ahmed, Winford Haynes, and Roberto Sotelo.

Thanks to these runners for inspiring us all!

For More Information on the Running Eyes for the Blind program, please contact Margo Ahern by email.


Related links:

*press release on cooldeli.com

*News 8 Austin report

*KXAN News Report and video