Marla Lee Runyan (born January 4, 1969) is an American sprinter. She is a three-time national champion in the women`s 5000 metres. Runyan, who lives in Eugene, Oregon, has been attending railroad events since he was young. In 1992, she competed at the 1992 Paralympic Games, competing on an equal footing with athletes with disabilities, and won the 100, 200, 400 and long jump, and won the pentathlon at the 1996 Paralympic Games. She tried her hand at the 1996 Olympics, but failed to qualify and finished 10th in the heptathlon. Runyan was born on January 4, 1969 in Santa Maria, California, and is the second child of Valerie and Gary Runyan. At the age of nine, Runyan developed Stargardt`s disease, a form of macular degeneration that legally blinded her. However, she retained her peripheral vision and was able to recognize shapes and shadows. His mother found his textbooks in large print and worked with the Lions Club to get a closed television. Runyan, a world-class runner, finished the New York City Marathon as the best American woman with the second-fastest time in her debut by a woman. She finished fifth at the 2003 Boston Marathon; Seventh at the Chicago Marathon in 2004 and first place at the Twin Cities Marathon in 2006. Runyan`s other awards include: three-time national outdoor track and field champion (2001-2003); three-time 5K national road champion (2002-2004); and several American records for various running events.
Runyan was born in Santa Maria, California. After graduating from Camarillo High School in 1987, she attended San Diego State University, where she competed in several sporting events: heptathlon, 200-meter, high jump, shot put, 100-meter hurdles, long jump, javelin throw, and 800 meters. In 1994, she obtained her Master`s degree in Education for Deafblind Children. Runyan first tried and qualified for the U.S. Olympic team in the heptathlon in 1996, but ultimately failed to make the team. Undeterred, she won a gold medal at this year`s Paralympic Games – for the second time since 1992 (she holds a total of five Paralympic gold medals). In 1999, she won the gold medal in the 1500 metres at the Pan American Games. In 2000, she became the first blind athlete to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team in the 1500 meters. She finished 8th at the Olympics and returned in 2004 to compete again. Marla Runyan A blind marathon runner, Marla Runyan won three national championships in the women`s 5,000 metres. At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, she finished eighth in the 1,500 metres.
Marla Runyan, the first blind athlete to compete at the Olympic Games, joined the Perkins community in 2013 as a high school teacher. Since this spring, she has also been a Perkins Speaker and inspiring audiences in the United States with her story. Runyan, who was diagnosed with progressive vision loss as a child, competed at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics and was a three-time national champion in long-distance running. She recently spoke to Perspectives about her journey from competitive athlete to teacher and speaker. In 2003, she again won the 5 km road race and qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics by finishing second in the United States Olympic Trials (track and field). She took time off in 2005 to give birth to her first child, Anna Lee, on September 1, but returned to the road in 2006 and won her second 20km national championship (her first was in 2003). [5] In honour of the upcoming Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, we have compiled a list of five of the most well-known visually impaired athletes and their stories. Unfortunately, Runyan`s eyesight continued to deteriorate year after year. However, she didn`t let that affect her career.
In 2001, she wrote and published her autobiography No Finish Line: My Life As I See It. In 2002, she married coach Matt Lonergan, with whom she had a daughter in 2005. Although Runyan hoped to make the 2008 Olympic team, back problems and surgery prevented him from doing so. Instead, she earned a second master`s degree in 2012 and began teaching blind people in Oregon schools. “I never said I wanted to be the first blind runner to compete in the Olympics. I just wanted to be an Olympian,” Runyan said after her win. “I think my vision is just a circumstance that happened, and I don`t see it as an obstacle.” Marla Runyan is an American athlete, road runner and marathon runner who is the first blind athlete to compete in the Olympic Games. She is a three-time national champion in the women`s 5000 metres.
At the 1992 Summer Paralympics, she won four gold medals in the long jump, 100, 200 and 400 metres. At the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials, she attempted to qualify for the Olympics and finished 10th in the heptathlon. Although she failed to qualify, she ran the 800 meters in 2:04.60, an American record in the 800 meters in the heptathlon. This success convinced her to try long-distance running. At the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta, she won silver in the shot put and gold in the pentathlon. Craig MacFarlane Craig MacFarlane lost his sight at the age of 2 1/2 in a sweat accident. His athletic instincts set in early and at the age of eight, he won his first wrestling tournament. Inspired by this achievement, Craig competed in a variety of sports, winning 103 gold medals in wrestling, track and field, swimming, skiing, water skiing and golf. Regina Jacobs was first in 4:01:01, her fourth Olympic team.
Suzy Favor-Hamilton, who has been dealing with her brother`s suicide and major Achilles tendon surgery for 18 months, was second in 4:01.81.
