Running Blind
HOW ONE VISUALLY-IMPAIRED RUNNER FINDS HIS WAY
Griffin Pinkow, 25, of New York, NY, is blind. Despite suffering from what most would view as a major disability, Pinkow has run marathons, completed a handful of long-distance tandem bike races, several Paralympic races, and more. These are impressive accomplishments. Most recently, with the help of his guide, Brian Gallagher, he crossed the finish of the 2017 Chicago Marathon in his fastest time ever.
Degeneration and Acceleration
At age 12, Pinkow was an avid athlete. It was through playing sports that he noticed something wrong with his vision. It took multiple visits to several doctors before he was finally diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative disease that slowly causes vision loss.
As his eyesight degenerated, his athletic pursuits accelerated. He played rugby all throughout college and then, in 2014, his senior year, he and a friend decided to run the New York City Marathon. By that time, he was using a cane, and was seeing little more than shadowy figures.
Training was difficult, but he never gave up or even thought about giving up. Because of his class schedule, he ran most of his training runs on the school track after dark. He found himself guessing the location of the turns and other people. āAt first it was hard,ā he says, ābut once I started relying on my other senses, it was easier. I would hear someoneās voice or someoneās breathing for example, and then judge their location.ā
Running on a track under relatively controlled conditions was one thing, but lining up for a road marathon amidst thousands of other runners was quite another. Pinkow realized he would need his friend to serve as a guide. When they crossed the line, Pinkow was hooked.
Challenge and Marathon Running
āYou want that feeling again, you want to experience that atmosphere, and you want to run faster,ā he says. āPlus, I didnāt want to do something that was easy; I wanted to do something tough and accomplish my goals.ā
Three years and two marathons later, he signed up for Chicago. His guide couldnāt make it. So, he went to Gallagher, the co-founder of Throwback Fitness, a studio where Pinkow often trains.
Despite completing a couple of half marathons in the past few years, Gallagher says running isnāt his thing. Also, the idea of guiding a visually-impaired runner through a moving marathon crowd sounded scary. Still, he agreed, and they started training.
āWe ran about five training runs together,ā says Gallagher. āIt was tough at first. I ran him right into a puddle and then into a pedestrian sign.ā Gallagher learned quickly just how aware heād need to be every moment to get Pinkow to the finish unscathed and in what they both hoped would be a new PR for Pinkow and a first-ever marathon finish for himself.
No pressure.
Race Day
When race day came, they were ready. Live music boomed along the course and spectators roared as thousands of runners flooded the streets. Gallagher navigated Pinkow through the crowd using vocal queues and physical nudges (visually-impaired athletes often use tethers to help them stick with their guide; not Pinkow).
āI felt overwhelmed just simply running the marathon with all that was going on around us. It was sensory overload for me, and I can see,ā exclaims Gallagher. āI canāt imagine all that without being able to see it. And yet, it was incredible to experience just how calm, relaxed, poised, and determined Griffin was.ā
Pinkow was in his element. For him, marathons are a chance to āseeā an entire city in a day. While he canāt physically see, he can hear, and smell, and taste the city. He can absorb all the cultural mash-up that a place has to offer simply by running through its streets.
Despite some late-race knee pain, and a couple of near crashes, Pinkow and Gallagher crossed the line in 4:07. A new PR for Pinkow and a first-time marathon finish for Gallagher.
No Room for Excuses
āI know what I can do,ā Pinkow says. āI canāt tell you how many times people tell me that Iām the only one who thinks I donāt have a disability. I want people to focus on what they can do, not what they canāt do. Your only limit is the one that you put on yourself.ā
Wow. Thatās just it. Pinkow knows no limits.
āThereās always an excuse,ā says Gallagher.ā But then I look at someone like Griffin, who has perhaps the biggest excuse and he doesnāt use it. He rides bikes; he runs races. His condition doesnāt stop him. And that is so inspiring and motivating.ā
A 4:07 marathon is just the beginning. Pinkow is already forging ahead to new challenges. Next month, heāll ride in a 200-mile tandem bike race, followed by a duathlon, then a 100-mile tandem bike race, before completing his 2017 season with the US Paralympic Track & Field National Championships.
Griffin Pinkowās athletic endeavors are only a fraction of his accomplishments. Check out his nonprofit, the Foreseeable Future Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping other visually impaired people reach their potential.
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