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Becoming an Athlete Guide
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Does anyone have experience with volunteering as a guide for a blind athlete in a race? It's something I've considered before, but I'm not really sure where to begin.

Any thoughts or suggestions on how to get started would be much appreciated. Also would be very interested to hear about anyone's experience as a guide.

Thanks!

-Ben
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Re: Becoming an Athlete Guide [Ben R] [ In reply to ]
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I haven't done it, but I want to... I found this organization:

http://www.cdifferent.org/

Try there!
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Re: Becoming an Athlete Guide [Ben R] [ In reply to ]
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There is an organization called c-different that helps connect guides and blind / vision-impaired athletes. I believe there are other organizations now as well. I had the pleasure of guiding a blind athlete at Ironman Lake Placid in 2010 and it was one of the best race experiences I've had. The thing to keep in mind is that the race is all about the blind athlete, not the guide. The guide's "job" is to be the eyes of the blind athlete, so you go at their pace and listen to their needs. It is very challenging to be a guide, but also very rewarding. I was asked to guide an athlete at IMNY this year but had a prior work commitment; if not for that, I certainly would have done it again. The blind athletes I've worked with and met are all very inspirational people. Imagine going 140.6 in the dark! Feel free to PM me if you have any more specific questions.
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Re: Becoming an Athlete Guide [Ben R] [ In reply to ]
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I was about to ask this question myself.
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Re: Becoming an Athlete Guide [michaelpluimer] [ In reply to ]
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Can you guide for just one part of the race, or are you expected to do the whole thing? For example, if they're pretty fast maybe you need a good swimmer for the swim, and a good runner for the run. Or do they just find people who are fast enough at all 3?

Also, do you just do the race, or is the expectation that you train with them for weeks prior?
Last edited by: matto: Aug 16, 12 13:07
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Re: Becoming an Athlete Guide [Ben R] [ In reply to ]
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I have run with blind runners from a group called "Achilles Track Club". It is really a rewarding and inspiring experience and I got to meet some fantastic people and impressive athletes. It only takes 15-20 minutes to get used to finding the distance between athlete and guide (not sure if that is the terminology or not), and then you basically don't think about it and it is just like running with any partner (except you are holding a little handle). You don't really tug on the handle and the guiding is really subtle and intuitive.

I have run with them in NYC, but I know they have chapters around the country. I believe they organize the guides for the NYC marathon and a lot of other big races in the area including triathlons.

http://www.achillesinternational.org/
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Re: Becoming an Athlete Guide [slimfast] [ In reply to ]
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Interesting, i have seen blind athletes running with guides in marathons and other races/events. I have seen blind people on long distance open water swims but never in a race though; it looks certainly possible to guide them in the swim leg. Really curious about the bike leg, how would that work?
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Re: Becoming an Athlete Guide [Ben R] [ In reply to ]
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This doesn't really help but I've guided blind downhill skiers before. I think the biggest thing I learned was to talk, a lot. Although some like less talk than others. But they all need enough to know what is going on. Plus, there are levels of visual impairment, not all are at the "it is always dark out there".

If the visually impaired person has been involved in Triathlons before, they can give you a good idea about what to expect and what their needs are. Although my experience has been that these folks usually have their race guides already. If however you are looking to get involved early and be a guide for someone "looking" (sorry, couldn't help it) for a guide then train your ass off so you don't hold them up and yes, be prepared to guide them through all 3 phases including the tandem bike ride - your speed will pick up a lot on the level and downhill when you have an extra engine and no additional wind resistance.

BC Don
Pain is temporary, not giving it your all lasts all Winter.
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Re: Becoming an Athlete Guide [matto] [ In reply to ]
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With C-Different for the Ironman distance triathlons, the guides are expected to do the entire race with the blind athlete. However, I know there are some shorter distance races where guides team up to help the athlete. Also, I know of some marathons where multiple guides will take turns guiding the athlete throughout the race. I am guiding a blind athlete (the same one I guided at IM Lake Placid) at the Marine Corps Marathon this October. Very much looking forward to it!

There are some challenges from a guide perspective. For example, if you typically run a 3 hour marathon and the blind athlete runs a 5 hour marathon, it can be a difficult adjustment to run at a slower pace. Also, you have to constantly remember that your partner can't see (obviously). But this can be difficult, especially if you don't have a lot of experience with visually impaired individuals. For example, you may see the pot-hole in the road, but your partner doesn't. So, it takes some practice to imagine running without sight so that you can point out and alert your athlete about any obstructions, dips, sharp turns, curbs, etc.

In triathlons, the swim portion can be challenging as you are tethered together and can't communicate real well in the midst of an Ironman swim. Furthermore, most of the athletes don't realize you are tethered, and we had to be careful to stay tight so that no one would get twisted up in the tether (the blind athletes and guides do wear different colored caps so that they are identifiable, but it is difficult to see that, especially at the start).

Regarding the cycling portion, make sure you are comfortable riding a tandem. This is especially important on turns and hills. Your athlete can't see the hill coming up, so you will need to alert him or her that you are going to shift and start climbing a hill. Likewise, sharp turns can be difficult as you both have to lean.

It is also very mentally challenging, especially at the Ironman distance, because another athlete's race is completely dependent on you. When you are racing alone, you only have to worry about getting yourself to the finish line (and certainly being safe and respective of fellow athletes and volunteers). As a guide, you are also responsible for guiding someone else to the finish line. This made the race much more mentally challenging and stressful for me, as I was continually focused on the athlete, and often forgot to think about myself (nutrition, pacing, etc.). That said, I would do it again in a heartbeat. The blind athletes are simply amazing, and it is an extremely rewarding experience.

MP


matto wrote:
Can you guide for just one part of the race, or are you expected to do the whole thing? For example, if they're pretty fast maybe you need a good swimmer for the swim, and a good runner for the run. Or do they just find people who are fast enough at all 3?

Also, do you just do the race, or is the expectation that you train with them for weeks prior?
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Re: Becoming an Athlete Guide [Acquaspin] [ In reply to ]
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They ride a tandem bike with the vision impaired person in back and the guide piloting (steering / braking). I don't know how the rules work with the front person pedaling. Again, I have only guided in running, so I don't have first hand guide experience in triathlon.
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Re: Becoming an Athlete Guide [slimfast] [ In reply to ]
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I printed out their volunteer application after I saw a few at a local sprint and at the NYC tri. Really thinking about being a guide for 2013.
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Re: Becoming an Athlete Guide [gary_a_gooner] [ In reply to ]
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If you are in NYC it is super easy to get involved and I would really recommend it. A link to the workout schedule is below. Try one of the Central Park workouts.

http://www.achillesinternational.org/chapters/national/nyc
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Re: Becoming an Athlete Guide [Ben R] [ In reply to ]
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I've been a handler (the technical term for 'guide') a couple of times for athletes in the Achilles Track Club in NYC both for running races and triathlons. My take-aways:

- The single most rewarding athletic experience I've ever had was handling at the NYC Tri in 2009. I really can't recommend the experience enough. Going in to my first handling race, I admit that I had some reservation about giving up 'my' race day, but when we crossed the finish line, I couldn't have been happier with the decision to help another athlete have his race day. Completely amazing. Tears and chills amazing.

- A lot of blind athletes are part of organizations that have rosters of volunteers to help out with practices and races. When I've signed up to race with someone, I've always swam with them at least 3-4 times, biked at least 2-3, and run at least once. So, it's not as though you need to make an enormous commitment to being there every time they train for any of the disciplines - you need to be familiar with each other, but they can do almost all of their training with the roster of other volunteers if you're concerned about the time commitment.

- I've seen a few occasions when there were different handlers for the different disciplines in a race, but as a general rule, it's one handler for the whole race. It may even be the case that different handlers disqualifies the athlete from awards, but I'm really not sure.

- For the swim, the technique that worked best for me and the athletes with whom I was working was for me to swim behind them and tap their right foot if they needed to veer right and left foot if they needed to veer left. At turn buoys, I'd swim up next to them and be a little more forceful - usually grab their hand, they stop swimming, I turn them in the right direction, and off we go again with the foot tapping - takes a half second after a few practice tries. A benefit of the foot tapping technique was that I was in the way to prevent anyone from swimming up their back, which was always their biggest complaint. I've always had BOP or BOMOP swimmers, though, so this technique might not work well if the athlete is a solid swimmer, since it'd be difficult to keep them from swimming up other people's backs. Most handlers swim alongside their athletes, so that's probably best with a fast swimmer.

- On the bike, hills are the toughest part. Since you're on a tandem, you're the heaviest total weight bike on the course. You get passed a lot on the uphills, so be even more careful than usual to stay as far right as possible. All that weight can be great on the downhills if the course isn't crowded. But if the course is too crowded to allow you to truck the downhills, it can be really frustrating. Handling and braking are weaker on a tandem, so you have to be extra cautious that you don't let downhill speed get out of control.

- The run is super easy. Different athletes have different preferences, but most have something (a shoe lace, a conductor's baton, a dish rag) that each of you hold one end of. They can feel whether it's slack or taught and respond accordingly. Verbal commands are really where it's at, though - you never want any surprises, so err on the side of being overly-descriptive of any other racers, curbs, speed bumps, changes in pavement, or anything that might feel funny or otherwise be a problem. For every race I've done, we asked the race director ahead of time for permission to have a couple of extra handlers run along with us on the run to help keep the athlete safe (every RD has approved this 'banditting'). That way, you can have 1-2 run a few yards behind to help force faster competitors to run around rather than through your athlete, one on each side of the athlete, and then perhaps one more several yards ahead if the course is crowded to let anyone you're overtaking know to be alert. They can also be exceptionally helpful at aid stations, since they can go get whatever the athlete needs, which allows you to steer as far away from the slippery, discarded-cup-infested, crowded-with-runners-careening-in-all-directions part of the road.

- Transitions might actually be the toughest part. There are usually more obstacles in the way (both stationary and moving), there's a lot to do for both yourself and your athlete, and it's the part that changes the most from one race to the next. I think it's the part of the race during which you need to be most alert - there are a lot of ways for you or the athlete to get injured or otherwise screw something up. The single most important thing to do race morning is to do a transition walk-through. As you run up to and from both transitions, it's non-stop communication. You won't have your running tether (the shoelace, conductor's baton, etc.) with you for the swim exit to T1, so it's hand holding and a lot of verbal cues. I had one athlete who brought a ~3 foot wooden spike with him, which we stuck in the ground javelin style and then positioned all of his gear around the stick so he'd have a reference point off of which to work. You need to make sure everything is laid out impeccably and in such a way that it's not going to all get trampled by you, the athlete, or other racers. Get yourself together as quickly as possible and then help the athlete - they can be doing some things on their own as you get ready and they may not need much/any help, so worry about yourself first. Talk, talk, talk the whole time. One important thing to go over where the athlete should be/go while you're unracking and racking the bike - it's a tandem, so a bit cumbersome - you don't want them in the way while you're trying to manipulate the bike around them and you don't want to smash into them. Also, no sharp turns when running in/out with the bike - the athlete will be holding the bike to guide themselves and sharp turns could cause problems - as with everything else, a LOT of verbal communication is really helpful.

- Do it!
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Re: Becoming an Athlete Guide [Bulliams] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks so much for your detailed response! Really appreciate the time you took to share all the info. I'm definitely going to follow up locally here in DC and try to get invovled as a handler.
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Re: Becoming an Athlete Guide [Bulliams] [ In reply to ]
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Excellent point about extra help. Most RDs see very few AWADs and are not sure what to do. So, have a plan in place and explain what you do and don't need. As a handler for a Para, depending upon the course, I (and other handlers) may indicate the need to be with the athlete on the bike and / or run portion of the course. In particular, if the run course covers pathways, there isn't usually a lot of room for competitors and a racing chair so 1 of us goes in front on a bike to let folks know that a chair is coming and 1 is behind to help on steep ups and downs (a runaway chair could end a lot of dreams).

Also, in our case, transition areas with sand and gravel can be problem requiring a handler to take the timing chip and run across some mats.

Generally, all the disabled athletes will have their own section in Transition so when that happens there is a better chance of things not getting moved around.

Finally, there are some Triathlons which advertise as being "disabled friendly". Some courses are just not really doable for some disabilities although so far we've found a way to do most of what we want.

Oh and the rules change for AWADs so make sure you are familiar with them. As an example, with a para in a chair, they can ask for assistance for a push across grass or sand and that's fine but if you just start pishing without them asking it can potentially be grounds for a DQ.

BC Don
Pain is temporary, not giving it your all lasts all Winter.
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Re: Becoming an Athlete Guide [Acquaspin] [ In reply to ]
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Acquaspin wrote:
Interesting, i have seen blind athletes running with guides in marathons and other races/events. I have seen blind people on long distance open water swims but never in a race though; it looks certainly possible to guide them in the swim leg. Really curious about the bike leg, how would that work?

---

Tandem bike.....I'll let you figure out who sits where..

---
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Re: Becoming an Athlete Guide [Ultra-tri-guy] [ In reply to ]
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Touche, thanks a lot for the toughtful response. I need to get to races more often, never seen a blind person competing. Tandem was the logical thing but then, logic sometimes plays hard to get.
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Re: Becoming an Athlete Guide [slimfast] [ In reply to ]
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Skipped your reply, thanks, i imagined tandem was the answer but then again never seen one racing i wanted to make sure.
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Re: Becoming an Athlete Guide [Ben R] [ In reply to ]
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I am interested to know if you ever did this.

I am also interested to know if things have changed in the last 6 years.
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Re: Becoming an Athlete Guide [Ben R] [ In reply to ]
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If you want to see/follow something spectacular there is a RAAM Team of four Tandems. Team Sea to See, Four Sighted riders with Four vision impaired stokers. My friend Caroline Gaynor 9x Ironman guide is one of the team members.

All I Wanted Was A Pepsi, Just One Pepsi

Team Zoot, Team Zoot Mid-Atlantic

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Re: Becoming an Athlete Guide [Calamityjane88] [ In reply to ]
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I just finished reading this book "No Barriers: A Blind Man's Journey to Kayak the Grand Canyon" by Erik Weihenmayer.
I highly recommend it as a must read.


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