London Marathon 2005
About Foresight | Katy Our Inspiration | London Marathon 2005
Katy Newitt who is visually impaired because of Retinitis Pigmentosa, partnered by her sighted guide Nicola Wilson started training in earnest in September 2004.
About halfway through their training Katy was interviewed by Julia Wheeler for the RNIB vision magazine. "Training is hard and I never thought that my visual impairment would make it even harder because of the extra stresses and strains on my limbs, which have caused me more injuries than I might have had otherwise," said Katy who was juggling training with the demands of a young family and the burgeoning Foresight group.
"A recent run that Nicola and I did up and down the Beach Road in Dubai from Mercato to the Burj Al Arab (22km) left me completely exhausted, both physically and mentally, because of all the obstacles we had to avoid, such as curbs, bus stops, benches, bricks, pot holes and continually changing surfaces, and that's not to mention cars reversing into us. My sight is its usual poor self at the outset of a run but after about 10km it goes completely and I have to concentrate really hard on what Nicola is telling me. I found even just running up and down the Beach Road an amazing thing to look back on - that we actually managed it - but not one I am going to repeat in a hurry since I am now taking Brufen 800 to reduce an inflamed knee from tripping several times!"
Loss of sight has had an impact on the way Katy runs and she has suffered from some painful injuries during her training period and it was doubtful if she would run at all at one point. Her doggedness and bravery saw her through.
Despite these set backs the pair successfully completed the London Marathon on April 17th. They romped home in 4 hours 45 minutes, well under their target of 5 hours. Friends and family met them at the finish line. Members of Foresight were willing them on from Dubai.
"They were ecstatic" said Amanda Sheridan, one of the Foresight team "I spoke to them just as they finished and they were screaming down the phone!"
Katy and Nicola were among a record breaking 35680 runners that started the 2005 London Marathon. They started with a group of other runners with disabilities but were among only a few visually impaired entrants. Nicola's support was invaluable and she had to remain alert and communicative for every minute of the race even when she was coping with her own tiredness.
"We will celebrate at a party tonight organised by the RNIB (Royal National Institute of the Blind)" said Katy from London "we can savour our achievement and tear up our diet sheets! Thank you to everyone who has sponsored us."
"The support we have received from everyone in Dubai has been amazing." said Nicola, "It has helped us through the times when the training got tough and enabled Foresight to take steps within this community that will make a real difference to the pace of international research into a cure for RP."
Katy and Nicola returned to Dubai on 20th April and were given a heroes welcome by members of Foresight.
Nicola and Katy's Training Diary
This is the diary of Katy and Nicola's marathon training for 2 months. Training and commitments became too much for Nicola, the author, to finish it. It gives a light hearted and honest view of what it is like to train for a marathon as a sighted guide for someone who is visually impaired.
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