No sight, no sweat for Chongqing runners

Visually impaired team up with escorts on track to fulfill marathon dreams

Once a month, a group of runners in Chongqing hit the tracks at a local sports field. But these aren't ordinary runners.

The participants run in pairs, with each person holding a short rope between them. One person is visually impaired, while the other is an escort runner, alerting the former to turns and obstacles on the track.

"Running used to be a complicated sport for me to do," said 47-year-old local masseur Yu Chun, who was born with a congenital vision disorder but has maintained an interest in sports over the years. "Thanks to such a welcoming organization, I'm now preparing for my first half-marathon!"

The organization is the Chongqing branch of Running in the Dark, a national nonprofit charity for visually impaired runners established in Shanghai in 2016.

The Chongqing branch was set up last October. Soon, others were set up in Beijing, Nanjing in Jiangsu province, Hangzhou in Zhejiang province and Chengdu in Sichuan province.

"For the first time in my life, I was able to overcome my fears and run freely," Yu said, adding that the volunteers not only navigate the routes, but also teach them professional techniques, including how to breathe properly, pace themselves and push their limits.

Yu said that as a result of his impairment, he used to only do limited exercises such as pushups and standing vertical jumps, but since he joined the club, his physical capabilities have gradually increased.

At the fifth run on May 7, he completed a 10.5-kilometer run and was selected from among a dozen other group members to take part in the next marathon in Chongqing in October.

"I feel like my lifelong dream to prove that I can be like anybody else is coming true," Yu said.

Xiong Jie, who has participated in three runs with the group, said, "More than just providing physical exercise, I noticed that running has given my partner a more positive mindset and has helped him expand his social circle."

The 34-year-old works in the software industry in Chongqing. As a runner, she said she was impressed when she first saw a visually impaired runner escorted by a volunteer at a marathon in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, in 2019. This inspired her to lend a hand at home, so she signed up to volunteer with Running in the Dark in Chongqing the moment she saw the club's recruitment notice for escort runners. She has invited eight friends to join the group so far.