Blind runners beat the odds in Hood to Coast race
PORTLAND, Ore. - At almost 200 miles long, the Hood to Coast race is a test of motivation and teamwork.
But "the mother of all relays" also a rush for the senses: the taste of the cool mountain air, the feel of feet pounding the pavement and the sound of excited, adrenaline-pumped teams.
This year, one team is competing the in the race without an important sense—their sight.
Everyone on team Eye Rock is blind, but they plan to win this year’s race despite challenges facing them on the road ahead.
The Eye Rock team members wear signs to let people know they’re blind, but each team member is tied to a partner who guides them around any obstacle in sight.
The team said sisters Laura and Heidi Westerhuis can move at an amazing pace, despite others on the road.
“It’s like a three-legged race in a three-armed race,” said Laura Westerhuis. “You’re moving together like an engine.”
But sometimes stumbles will happen and getting into the rhythm of walking tied to someone is not always easy.
“She’s got a lot of confidence because she’s used to it so she just walks as if she sees,” said Heidi Westerhuis.
With practice, these men and women can race just like a person who sees. May Wong is legally blind and very sensitive to light, but that doesn’t stop her from racing.
“This is something that blind and visually impaired people can do just as well and with everybody else,” she said.