I’ve just cracked on with life
Guide runners help those with sight loss achieve things they never thought possible. Bill Gibb finds out more.
WHEN Ruth Forrest lined up at the start of the Great North Run, she could feel the buzz of excitement from the tens of thousands of fellow runners.
She couldn’t see them, though, or indeed any of the 13 miles that lay ahead.
Ruth, from Hamilton, Lanarkshire, is blind and had never run at all just a year before.
Then she found a whole new passion in her life by joining Parkrun and taking up running, hitting the road alongside a sighted runner.
Now, tax inspector Ruth is inspiring others to follow in her footsteps.
“I’ve never had sight; I’ve never known anything different,” Ruth explains.
“It doesn’t faze me, and I’ve just cracked on with life and not let it bother me.
“There is still a stigma, though, and the biggest restrictions really come from society and challenging people’s perceptions of what I can do.”
Ruth has always been very independent, but she’s never been sporty.
However, as she sat with husband Reza in front of TV coverage of the 2021 Great North Run, she was suddenly inspired to give it a go.
“Reza just turned to me and said, ‘You do realise you don’t run’.” Ruth laughs.
“I’d struggled badly during the COVID lockdowns as I couldn’t go out alone, and my confidence had taken a real hit.
“So I wanted to try, and I found my local Parkrun at Strathclyde Park.
“I thought it might be easy, and on my first run with a very experienced guide, I was really flying.
“But after a kilometre I totally ran out of gas and had to walk the rest of it.”
While she continued with the weekend sessions, Ruth’s race ambitions were boosted when she partnered with Nik Kieran as her guide runner for extra training.
The pair hit it off and became firm friends as well as running buddies.
“Nik tells me what’s coming up, where there’s a turn, any obstacles like poles or hazards like potholes,” Ruth explains.
“We spent a lot of time hanging out and going for coffees.
“You do need to know each other quite deeply to develop trust if you’re going to do such a long run.
“Although I always told Nik it was my fault if I fell or had a problem!”
Pre-run injuries massively disrupted training, and Ruth only just got the medical OK to take part in time for the run.
As they’d already raised £5,000 in sponsorship for Guide Dogs, she was determined to give it a go.
“I wasn’t at all confident I’d finish, but after we set off, Nik told me this was what I’d dreamed of and it really hit me,” Ruth says.
“I got quite emotional, thinking how far I’d come after just sitting in front of the TV the year before.
“The support along the way was just incredible.
“We had our names on our fronts and, even though I couldn’t see them, hearing the crowd shout my name and giving me encouragement was such a great feeling.”
Ruth is keeping up her running and hopes others will be inspired to join her.
“I’m so passionate about getting disabled people involved in sport because it’s fun,” Ruth adds.
“I’d encourage sighted people to come along to Parkrun and give guide running a go.” ■