DENVER, CO – APRIL 22: Blind runner Amelia Dickerson, right, gets congratulated by her friend and guide Grace Dill, left, after finishing the 5 mile race of the 36th annual Cherry Creek Sneak road race on April 22, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. The race, which heralds spring in Colorado, includes a 10 mile race, a 5 mile run/walk, a 5K race and a kids 1/2 mile fun run. Thousands of people turned out for the annual event as the temperatures were cool but the skies were sunny making for a perfect race day. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
From the Denver Post
By Danika Worthington
About 15 participants enjoy the social nature of race
Members of the tight-knit group pumped up one another at the starting line.
Shoes were retied last minute as the national anthem played from the speakers. When it finished, the announcer asked blind and visually impaired runners to come forward.
The group made their way up. Crosby, a guide dog for runner Kerry Kuck, stood at the front of the pack. The runners prepared for their starting cue, which was a minute before the rest of the participants tackled the 5-mile route at the annual Cherry Creek Sneak.
“Crosby the dog is going to lead the way,” the announcer barked out to the crowd. Then, the start was signaled. The runners and their guides took off, breaking away down the first stretch.
The Colorado Springs based U.S. Association of Blind Athletes partnered with Achilles Denver, the local chapter of an international organization that gives athletes with disabilities a community of support, and Lending Sight, a Colorado sports club that connects those with good vision with blind or visually impaired runners, to recruit about 15 runners and guides to race Sunday.
For some, the sport is about escaping isolation or exploring freedom. For others, it is a fun form of exercise. Regardless of the motivation, the athletes all expressed a similar theme: Blind runners have a tight community in Denver.
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