No sight, no hearing but Dragons all heart
WHEN these Hong Kong runners hit the tarmac it’s a case of the deaf leading the blind.
Thirty-five members of the Fearless Dragons running group are here for the Gold Coast Airport Marathon, featuring deaf athletes guiding blind compatriots.
And it’s all down to Fearless Dragons founder Kim Mok who completed his first Gold Coast marathon in 2011.
“When I first came to Queensland to the marathon I was very tired. When I came to the water point I asked how many kilometres were left,” said Mr Mok, a 57-yearold social worker.
“They were surprised because there were a lot of signs. Then I told them I couldn’t see and my partner was deaf and they were very kind.”
Mr Mok said the group aimed to raise awareness of people with disabilities while showing impairments don’t have to hold atheltes back.
Mr Mok will run his fourth Gold Coast marathon on Sunday tethered to his running partner for 42km.
“There’s a big level trust,” he said.
“My partner’s work is with horses, so he treats me like a horse. He will pull me along and a lot of things like that. He’s given me a lot of encouragement of over the years.
“Each kilometre he will tap his leg and I will know we’re getting closer to the finishing point.”
Mr Mok, who lost sight in his one functional eye aged 13, said running on the Gold Coast was always special.
“It was our first marathon, it is very special for us. That’s why we come back,” he said.
“I feel a lot of applause for us and support.”
He joked: “I am jealous of (my running partner) because there are so many girls in bikinis. Somebody once told me that, but I can’t sense it.”
Mr Mok said the group was named the Fearless Dragons in 2011 because the two words in Cantonese also sound like the Cantonese words for blind and deaf.
There are 310 Hong Kong runners visiting for the race.
Get the official marathon program in tomorrow’s Gold Coast Bulletin