an online magazine from eyeway.org
an online magazine from eyeway.org
issue 1 
september-october 2004
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run,
marla, run
Marla Runyan, legally blind since childhood, has held her own at the highest level of athletic endeavour – the Olympic Games. S. Santhanam sketches this wonder woman’s life
Millions watched in awe as Marla Runyan ran the 1500m event in the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, and came eighth with a time of 4:08.30. This year, they watched again on August 20 as she took part in the Women’s 5000m (Round 1, Heat 1). She came ninth, clocking a time of 15:24.88. But few of them knew the real story of the woman who was diagnosed with Stargardt's disease at the age of nine and became compelled to achieve what was thought beyond her reach, in the world of athletics as well as in life.
Runyan, 35, legally blind since childhood, earned a spot on the United States Olympic team with her third place finish in the women's 1500m, joining team mates Regina Jacobs and Suzy Favor-Hamilton on the Olympic team. In the 1992 Paralympics, Runyan won the 100m, 200m, 400m and long jump, and won the pentathlon in the 1996 Paralympics.
She has 20-300 vision in one eye and 20-400 in the other and can't watch television unless she holds her face a few inches from the screen. When running, Runyan can only see the track using peripheral vision and is unable to see people's faces or read competitive numbers. She says she recognises her competitors by their hairstyles and manner of running.
Runyan played soccer and competed in gymnastics as a child, but at the age of 14, when she could no longer see the ball, she switched to track and field. To compete in the high jump, she put reflective tape on the bar. In college, Runyan learned to run hurdles by counting the steps between barriers. She could not see any hurdles from the starting line, but her coach taped playing cards to the top of the obstacles to indicate how high she needed to leap.
Runyan defies nearly every accepted notion of what a distance runner should be. In a world where distance runners are expected to rise through the school and collegiate cross-country system, Runyan instead reached the 1500m through the heptathlon, where she set an American record for the heptathlon 800m in the 1996 Olympic trials. Instead of mastering each longer distance in turn, she moved to the 5000m after only two years in the 1500m (where she made the US team for the World Championships in 1999 and the Olympic final in Sydney) and announced her marathon debut the following year, running her first 10000m just three weeks before the marathon.
"I
think what I represent is achieving what you want in life,'' she once said.
"It's a matter of your attitude. Some people have a negative attitude,
and that's their disability.'' She was honoured with ESPN's ‘Jimmy V Don't
Ever Give Up Award’ in 2002, for courage and determination.
There is an interesting anecdote about Runyan’s determination. She injured herself just before the Sydney Olympics’ qualifiers, and was understandably very depressed. The sports psychologist she went to said something which was to change her attitude completely. He said: "No race is actually won or lost till you cross the finish line. Don’t write yourself off even before trying." Runyan took his advice to heart; the rest is history.
Runyan is almost certainly the fastest open competitor who qualifies for the Paralympics. Due to the irreversible macular degeneration, Runyan is legally blind, able to see mostly shadows and peripheral details.
Runyan graduated from San Diego State University (SDSU) in 1991. She then earned a master's degree for education of the handicapped, also from SDSU. While attending classes there, she used audio books and visual-aid devices, such as a magnifying device attached to a pair of glasses, to help her do her work. She attained a California driver's license with the help of a telescope magnifying lens. She, however, is not allowed to drive in her resident state of Oregon, where she works with handicapped children in Eugene.
Runyan was a late starter in athletics. She began running the 1500m in early 1999 and was placed fourth at that year's nationals. She then won a gold medal at the Pan American Games before placing 10th at the World Championships, where she was able to compete because the woman who had finished in front of her at nationals, Shayne Culpepper, had not achieved the A qualifying standard. In 2000 Runyan became the first-ever Paralympian to compete in the Olympic Games.
Though primarily a 1500m runner, Runyan has proven capable in the 5000m as well. In May 2000, she clocked 15:07.66, becoming the ninth-fastest American woman ever in that event.
Prior to her middle-distance exploits, Runyan was a heptathlete. She finished 10th in the seven-event competition at the 1996 US Olympic trials. Though her placing there did not bring a trip at the Atlanta Olympic Games, she did manage to set the American record for the 800m in heptathlon (2:04.70).
The former heptathlete moved to Eugene, Oregon, in 1996 and began her transition to middle-distance running. He weight plummeted from 145 to 116 pounds, and she quickly got injured and frustrated. She started working with 1972 Olympic steeplechaser Mike Manley and found success in the 1500m.
In
addition to all her achievements on the track, she has been an inspiration to
all athletes because of her achievements and her can-do attitude despite having
Stargardt's Disease.
Talking about her goals in the near future, Runyan said that she needed to keep things new to keep her motivated. Her favourite training guide is the Jack Daniel's book with Bob Kennedy on the cover. And like most sportspersons, Runyan, too, has her pre-race ritual or superstition. She wears a new pair of socks before every race. She gets a whole pack and sets them aside.
And there are several heroes whom she idolises. Paula Radcliff, Tegla Loroupe, Derartu Tulu and Deena Drossin. Because, according to her, they are not only great women athletes but genuinely good people.
She co-wrote and released her autobiography ‘No finish line: My life as I see it’ She married Matt Lonergan on August 5, 2002, a former college cross-country runner who often trains with Runyan on long runs, pointing out obstacles. Runyan loves going to the movies, listening to music and playing with her golden retriever, Summer.
Related stories:
Jyoti Maggu: "Blindness is not a handicap"
An athlete remembers
Sports associations for the blind
Assistance for blind sportspersons