Blind but All Determined as She Runs

She was running in the dark. She felt something was ahead and almost stumbled upon it. She was listening to a constant stream of yells, ˝Turn left 10m ahead. There`s a bottle on your right side 5m ahead,˝ as she ran through a great distance.

It was a triumph of human spirit. Marla Runyan, a 33-year-old legally blind woman who competed in tracks during the Sydney Olympics, amazed the world this time again.

At the women`s race in this year`s New York Marathon, she finished the 42.195km in 2 hours 27 minutes 10 seconds, first among U.S. women and fifth overall behind winner Joyce Chepchumba of Kenya who recorded 2 hours 25 minutes and 56 seconds. She not only was just 1 minute and 14 seconds behind the winner, but also demonstrated the incredible challenging spirit.

A degenerative eye condition known as Stargardt`s disease she got when she was nine limits her sight to about 4.5 meters. Unlike track races, marathon has a rough course comprising inclines, declines and uneven street paving. Marathoners are also often encountered with such barriers as sharp curves and they stop at drink stations during the race.

The organizing committee, therefore, arranged an assistant for Runyan so that she could be prepared for unexpected changes and obstacles throughout the course.

Given that she spends two to three more seconds to drink water, however, it would not have been possible for her to finish the full race in 2 hours and 27 minutes if it had not been for her undaunted spirit.

˝Marathon makes my body and soul strong. I ran past a number of manholes and obstacles today. It really doesn`t matter whether I can or can`t see things. I will continue running for a new record,˝ said Runyan after the race.

The paralympian, who had won five gold medals in the paralympics, attended the 2000 Olympics and ranked eighth in the 1,500 meters. This time, she trained herself hard with her coach Matt Lenergan whom she married three months ago, running 360km everyday.

Runyan runs for disabled children. She has a master`s degree in special education for the hearing-impaired. ˝You can do anything you like and want to do. Don`t let anybody tell you `You can`t do it,`˝ she emphasizes as she teaches children.

˝I am so glad that I delivered on my promise to the little children,˝ she said after the race. ˝I will continue trying to give dreams and hopes to disabled children through my life.˝

konihong@donga.com yjongk@donga.com