Marathon effort as Haseeb crosses finish line - with a little help from new friend!
AN avid runner who is registered blind was helped to the Manchester marathon finish line by a complete stranger after his guide had to drop out.
Haseeb Ahmad, from Leicester, had run most of the race on October 11, when his original guide picked up an injury, which meant Haseeb would also have had to stop.
But he was then passed by fellow runner, Stuart Whitehouse from Leeds, who shared a few words of encouragement.
Stuart then found out Haseeb would no longer be able to go on, so offered to step in, guiding the Leicester runner to the finish line.
Haseeb said: “I was sitting there for 15 minutes and I just thought ‘I need to finish it’ and decided to ask the next person if they’d be happy to be my guide.”
Stuart, who is a member of Crossgates Harriers Running Club in Leeds, told the Mercury: “I had a few injuries ahead of the race and I really thought I was going to drop out and that’s when I came across Haseeb.
“I didn’t just help him – he helped me to get across the finish line.
“I did struggle but Haseeb just kind of gave me the inner strength to carry on and gave me a bit of a purpose – what an inspirational guy,” he said.
Haseeb, 51, said: “Stuart is just an ordinary person – but also an extraordinary person. It can be quite tough to find guides but there are a lot of people out there who are happy to do it and they’re lovely people.
“It’s more than the running as well – my life is their hands. They’re looking after me before and after the race and helping with my drinks.”
Haseeb was registered blind as a teenager and has previously shared the story of his determination not to be defined by his disability in the Mercury.
He has since taken on countless sporting challenges and was recently named as one of the UK’s most influential disabled people on the Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 list.
It was only a week earlier that Haseeb, the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion lead at Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, had competed in the London Marathon.
“It was my ambition to run two marathons a week apart – I had never done that before,” he said.
After completing the marathons, Stuart hopes to be a guide to other runners and said he wants to use his personal training qualification to help others in a similar position.
STUART STEPS IN AS EMERGENCY GUIDE - BUT SAYS HASEEB WAS ALSO HIS INSPIRATION TO COMPLETE RACE