RUNNING
BLIND

Topics: Achievement; Hope; Perseverance; Persistence; Success; Winning and Losing

References: Acts 20:24; 2 Corinthians 4:18; Colossians 3:1–4; 2 Timothy 4:7; Hebrews 12:1–3

U.S. runner Marla Runyon, legally blind for twenty-two years, competed in the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. She qualified for the finals in the 1,500-meter race, then finished eighth, just seconds behind the medal winners.

Runyon can’t see in color; all she sees is a fuzzy blob. So when she races, she just follows the blob of figures in front of her. The real difficulty is rounding the final turn and racing toward a finish line she can’t see. “I just know where it is,” she said.

—Today Show, September 22, 2000