On 21st Oct 2018, 2 hrs past midnight 5 visually impaired girls and 2 visually impaired boys with a spark in the eyes and a smile on their face set their foot on the track to explore the joy of completing their Full Marathon. They were also accompanied by 6 visually impaired girls with strong will power finished their Debut Half Marathon!
Big salute to the will power and the dedication to these girls and boys who set an example to the world that nothing can hold you back if you have strong hand holding you. The journey to the finish line was not easy. It had a lot of hard work, hours and hours of structured training, nutrition, fueling, motivation, pep talks, their comfort level and the most important a trust between the visually impaired athletes and the guide runner. 2GO Active Wear came in at the right time with the best sports bra and running tights which we needed urgently.
A Big applaud for the guide runners to make the impossible possible as they put their heart and soul for continuous support to the visually impaired athletes throughout their journey to success:
For Full Marathon: Bhumika for full and Venkat for half, to be a strong support for Sunitha. Praveen Shetty to support Mala. Bhadresh for full and Sudha for second half, a strong support for Renuka. Nandeesh to guide Kavya, Rahul and Abhishek to support Nandeesh till the finish line. Sachin and Shekhar for support for Ajay.
#PinkathonDayBengaluru VisuallyImpaired Athletes and guides
The support mere was not in extending assistance by holding their hand, run on the track from the start lint to the finish. It was more beyond that. The guides were eyes for the athletes, they closely motivated them, took care of their needs of refueling during the race, comfort as they proceeded towards the finish line , a pep talk with them so that they don’t feel stressed out and tired due to anxiety. At times a quick massage to relax the muscles also was attended to. The route volunteers on event day Suma and Indra provided encouragement and support mid route. Vandana and Vasanthi the venue volunteers took charge of the visually Impaired tent.
Thanks to support team Vasanthi Gv, Vandana, Asima, Rinka Singh, Mansoor Runners360, Jayanagar Jaguars
Special thanks to GuideRunnersIndia , Mahantesh Kivadasannavar Sir and team SMTD, NEB Sports Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. Nagaraj Adiga, 2GO Active Wear Apollo Hospitals Fish Chain Bengaluru Marathon
#Marathon #VisuallyImpaired #Live2Inspire #BengaluruMarathon #GuideRunnersIndia
Blog Credit: Saroj, Sucheta, Bhumika
See Also :
Empowering VisuallyImpaired & Beyond 