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Looking at Dave Heeley it is hard to think of him as someone who is visually impaired. To the layman his eyes appear as if they are without defect.
Yet the truth is very much different and you’d have to take a very close look to see the Retinitis Pigmentosa condition, which has left him blinded for the past 20 years.
Have you thought about how it would feel to go blind?
Well just shut your eyes and imagine what it’s like to gradually lose sight of faces, colours and objects until all you are left with is a world of darkness. Scary, isn’t it?
Heeley, too, would have felt the same way all those years ago, but he did not let it hamper the way he went about his business, and this week he is set to create history by becoming the first blind man to run seven marathons in seven days on seven continents.
The 50-year-old Briton left the United Kingdom on March 30 and his week-long sojourn commenced with the challenge in Antarctica’s Falkland Islands on April 7. The second leg took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (South America) within the same 24-hour period.
Heeley and his support team then flew to Los Angeles for the North American leg at the world-famous Rose Bowl. The fourth run took him to Australasia and Sydney’s Centennial Park and he runs around Dubai’s Safa Park this morning in the Asia leg, before heading out for tomorrow’s penultimate leg in Tunis (Africa).
Heeley completes his Guide Dogs Seven Magnificent Marathons challenge by returning to the UK for his last run —the spectacular Flora London Marathon — on Sunday.
By Sunday, the married father of three from West Bromwich, near Birmingham, will have run a total distance of 295km and taken more than 250,000 steps in approximately 168 hours. He won’t be able to see the locations and supporters around the world and will have to rely on Malcom Carr, his sighted guide, who will accompany him every step of the way.
“Having suffered sight loss, I know how terrifying life can seem,” says Heeley, whose endeavour will benefit The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, which has already provided him with three loyal quadruped companions — Peter, Carla and Wicksie — over the past 10 years.
“I have been fortunate enough to have had my life transformed by guide-dog ownership and have gone from being nervous stepping outside my own front door to taking on the challenge of running a marathon on every continent on the globe and that is all thanks to Guide Dogs.
“If by raising awareness of the immeasurable impact guide dogs can have on the life of a visually impaired person, and if one more person as a result benefits from the life-transforming independence that guide dog provides, then this challenge will have been worthy every step of the way.”
Heeley has been visually impaired since birth, but his sight continued to deteriorate until he was actually registered blind in 1986. A keen runner since his childhood days, Heeley was forced to give up his passion by the time he was 16 because he could no longer run safely by himself.
He started running once again in 1999 with sighted running guides and thanks to the inspiration and confidence gained from the use of his guide dogs.
So far, he has competed in some of the biggest running events in the UK and he will be looking forward to completing his sixth in London Marathon.
The West Midlander has also helped raise an enormous amount of money for the UK-based charity Guide Dogs, with as much as £50,000 (Dhs 3.7 million) collected last year alone.
His latest challenge, though, is far beyond the capabilities of most people and finishing this dare will make Heeley the first visually impaired person after sighted adventurers Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Dr Mike Stroud to complete the trip.
Through the seven days, Heeley will have to keep himself in top physical and mental condition as he flies through time zones and overcomes jet lag while pushing the boundaries of human endurance to realise his dreams.
Organisers of the Dubai race have urged people to rally behind Heeley in support as he canters along the rubber jogging surface skirting Safa Park. Heeley may not be able to see those gathered to watch him create history, but he’ll be all ears to hear his crowd of supporters help him in his charitable quest.
“I will carry every single person that joins me in my heart as I prove to the world that sight loss is no barrier to independence and human achievement,” he said.
“Having an army of supporters will make such an enormous difference to my exhausted body and mind, and will help me find that extra bit of strength from within to complete the Seven Magnificent Marathons.”
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