Marla Runyan (USA) (© Getty Images)
Marla Runyan has already crossed the finish line in New York’s Central Park, but that was the dress rehearsal – Sunday is the real thing.
The amazing American, the first legally blind athlete to compete in an Olympic Games, recently ran the last 10 miles of the New York City Marathon course to get a feel for the route ahead of her debut at the distance.
She now knows there are one or two hills to make life interesting when she steps into the unknown. She hopes to make the top 10 and run 2:30, hopefully 2:28, and judged on her form to date this year, her targets are very realistic.
2002 has been a year of world class Marathon debuts by women. Paula Radcliffe’s sensational victory in London before going on to a World best in Chicago; Gete Wami’s impressive win in Amsterdam; and on Sunday, Sonia O’Sullivan will make what she regards as her ‘real’ marathon debut, after using Dublin as a training run when she won there in 2000.
Joining her in the 'Big Apple' will be Runyan, who as well as adding to this list of debutants, will be adding to her own series of 'firsts' this year. It has been a big step up from being a 1,500/5,000m runner to a distance runner but the 33-year-old has taken to the 10Km, 10 Mile and Half Marathon road distances with so little fuss, that she goes into Sunday’s race full of confidence.
Runyan, who suffers from Stargardt’s Disease (a degeneration of the retina) is new to the roads and admits that when she ran her first 10 Mile race in the Cherry Blossom event in April, one of her goals was simply ‘not to get lost’, a target she accomplished when recording 53:57 for fifth place.
Last month, she stepped up to the Half Marathon and was again impressive as she finished second in Philadelphia in 71:19. Her final preparation for New York came two weeks ago when she ran her first 10km, either on road or track, and came away with another US title, after running 31:46.
It added to her growing list of US road and track titles over 5,000m this year, a year in which she has blossomed as a distance runner. She is now hardened to 100 mile training weeks, and she believes her marathon preparation will provide a great platform for the track next year.
Two US titles this year marks an excellent start to her career as a road runner, but she admits she finds it very different from competing on the track, where of course she cannot take a wrong turn!
“Road races pose a new challenge for me but the races I have done taught me, that I can handle it if I prepare properly. But I am still learning. You would think red cones and barriers would clearly mark which way not to go, but when I am racing on the roads I don’t always know if they are directing me towards or away from something. Do I run inside the cones or outside them? I have little time to think about it, as by time I see them I am already right up on them and I have to think fast.”
“That’s why I take every measure possible to learn the course and memorise as much of it as I can. I will study the course map with a magnifying glass all night long and try to get a mental picture of the turns and terrain. I can do it, I just have to prepare a little more than others do.”
Above all others, Runyan will be delighted that Sunday’s race has the women's field setting off before the men. A women’s only race allows her to be competitive in a race situation, not to mention taking away the great danger of being tripped, if she had set off with the rest of the 30,000 runners.
Joyce Chepchumba fell in the 1999 Chicago Marathon before going on to win, but imagine what it must be like having so many people surrounding you when your vision is impaired. “I have never fallen in a race,” says Runyan, “but I have gone off course before.”
To avoid that in New York, she will have a cyclist with her as she did in Philadelphia. It’s something she almost appears to feel guilty about, and is at pains to point out there is no coaching or instructions, simply vital information such as telling her that drinks stations are approaching or to advise her of a turn coming up.
The cyclist will also give Runyan split times and she jokes: “They haven’t made a stopwatch large enough yet that I can read while I am running! When I race on the track I can’t read the lap counter or clock. Sometimes I can catch a number on the lap counter but most of the time I miss it. With the clock, I sometimes can catch the last digit and that’s all I need.”
But despite the problems her vision causes her, Runyan remains upbeat and can laugh at herself. She also believes the disease has been the making of her. She says: “I cannot imagine what my life would be like without Stargardt’s Disease, but I know I would not have run any quicker.”
“In some way I hope I have helped other people with the disease. The media have been good in addressing my athletic capabilities and not just my vision, so a lot of positive things have come from people learning about, and understanding my disease.”
And finally, as she looks forward to her marathon debut, what event she will go for in the 2004 Olympics?
“The high jump!” she replies with a smile. “Only kidding, but the fact is I simply don’t know. It could be anything from the 1500m upwards, but let’s get my first Marathon out of the way first. It’s just a few days away and I can’t wait. I’m told the crowd support in New York is like no other marathon.”
Bob Frank for the IAAF
