China Daily Global Edition (USA)
Buddy system sets the pace
Visually impaired athletes run Beijing Marathon guided by peers who can see the way
Running a marathon takes determination, courage, perseverance. It is an arduous undertaking that requires months of dedicated training. But for some of the runners on the Beijing marathon on Sept 16, they had to overcome challenges far greater than the majority of those they competed against. For 21 of the runners pounding the capital’s roads were visually impaired and had to compete “tied’’ to another runner for guidance.
“I feel relieved after all of them completed the race safely, and the 87 volunteer guides who gave up their own participation to help our visually impaired runners did an incredible job,” a volunteer guide and trainer Li Yubao said.
Li is a volunteer who has been guiding those runners for more than two years. Now he is the leader of a group of volunteers in a running group providing professional training for the visually impaired.
To prepare for the Beijing marathon, he arranged regular training for volunteers and participant runners for two months.
It is a great honor to run the Beijing marathon for normal runners, not to say those with visual impairment, Li said, adding that their competition results are better than predicted and two runners even finished the race within four hours.
Li, 39, is a system engineer who works in Intel in Beijing. When it comes to the weekend, he becomes the eyes and navigator for the visually impaired and runs with them in the Olympic Green every Saturday morning.
The He Yajun Running Group, named after the runner who initially set it up in 2015, now has more than 1,000 visually impaired runners and has over 600 people willing to help.
When jogging in the park one day in 2016, Li’s attention was caught by a special group of runners who were tied to each other in pairs with a rope, with “visually impaired” and “guide” marked in the back of their running gear.
“I was curious and asked around about them”, he said. Li finally joined the group and became a volunteer guide in August 2016.
Li has already guided all of the members in the group. The group has participated in more than 20 marathons, and some of the runners have even run in foreign events in Europe.
Visually impaired runners can be divided into partially or totally without sight.
According to Li, volunteer guides typically need to be in better physical condition than the disabled runners. “Guides must have the energy to take care of the runners”, Li said.
“A guide is expected to keep visually impaired runners safe and informed at all times, help them with pacing and warn them about obstacles”, Li said.
“A caring and responsible heart is what is needed to be a capable and reliable guide runner”, he said.
Volunteers in their group are required to cover their eyes in training to experience sightless running.
“Running blindfolded and allowing others to guide you will enable you to feel what it’s like running with little or no vision, and you will realize how much the runners trust you and you will be aware of your responsibilities”, Li said.
“It is difficult for those with visual impairment to get here in the morning, they have to catch the first train or bus”, he said, adding that it takes a lot of courage just to train.
Li noted that runners in their group are disciplined and organized. “They are never late for training”, he said.
After Li joined the group, he required the runners and volunteers to train scientifically and healthily. “We are a running group, we have to stimulate our talent and challenge our limits”, Li said.
“What impressed me most is that although they are physically vulnerable, they are mentally said.
“The first visually impaired runner I guided impressed me a lot with his perseverance”, Li said, adding that they ran together in heavy rain, and with his professional guidance and encouragement the runner completed his first 10-km event.
Volunteers and runners get along well in their group. They are not just running partners, they are also friends.
Li said that the runners are kind and are always grateful for volunteers’ help.
“They are considerate and often worried about if the volunteers would be too exhausted, sometimes they even crack jokes to make volunteers laugh”, he said.
“They bring positive energy to our lives and their optimistic attitude toward life is inspirational”, he added.
The spirit of partnership does not end when they cross the finish line. Li and other volunteers also take runners for medical checkups and buy them new gear. “I am proud of what I’ve done for them.” Li said.
In order to better align work with his volunteering activity, he persuaded his company to organize a marathon race on Sept 22 in the Olympic Green.
When talking about his public service work, he said volunteers serve as a bridge between the general society and vulnerable groups.
He Yajun, founder of the running group, said that without volunteer guides, the runners cannot even take the first step.
He lost his eyesight when he was 10 years old after a fever. He was depressed for several years and attempted a suicide. But he finally got through the dark times and started a business in Beijing as a blind masseur.
He started running in 2014 and completed his first overseas marathon in Barcelona in March 2016.
He said that running helped improve his physical condition and he became more optimistic.
“We are counting on the volunteers to guide us, they are our eyes and we rely on them”, He said.
He noted that having a partner to exercise with pushed him to improve his fitness and also made him more aware of the surroundings.
He has been guided by Li many times. “Li is very professional and he runs fast”, he said, adding that he feels happy to run with him.
When they run together, Li gives him professional insight like a coach, and in daily life Li is a caring friend, He said.
“He is serious during training”, He said, adding that sometimes he can push the runners if he thinks they are slacking off.
“I hope more runners as well as volunteers join us,” he said.
A guide is expected to keep visually impaired runners safe and informed at all times, help them with pacing and warn them about obstacles.” Li Yubao, leader of a group of volunteer navigators who help visually impaired runners in Beijing