Blind Runner Adrian Broca Finishes Boston Marathon

Just a quick update on Adrian Broca - he completed the Boston marathon today in 2:56:18 for a pace of 6:44. Congratulations on another great accomplishment!

Chasing glory they can feel, not see

Tomorrow is a big day for Boston, but it's also a big day for Adrian Broca, the fastest blind marathon runner in North America. As the Boston Globe reported:

"Tomorrow, the 31-year-old hopes to defend his title in the Boston Marathon's visually impaired division and meet the "A" qualifying standard for the 2008 Beijing Paralympics of 2 hours 46 minutes. That would place Broca roughly 35 minutes behind the Boston finish times of the world's top male marathoners."

Read all about Adrian Broca in Boston.com

KBT Treasurer Paul Polman Finishes London Marathon, Raises funds for Trust

On Sunday, April 13th, Paul Polman completed the London Marathon with several close friends as part of his fund raising initiative for the Kilimanjaro Blind Trust. Thanks Paul for all of your efforts, and a special thanks to everyone who supported his run!

Blind runner completes 7 marathons in 7 days in historic fund raiser

Dave Heeley, also known as "Blind Dave" made history in the London Marathon on April 13th by becoming the first blind person (and probably one of the few/only) to run seven marathons across seven continents in seven days. Who wouldn't say "Wow"? He started with the Falkland Islands, then completed marathons in Rio de Janeiro (South America), Los Angeles (North America), Sydney (Australasia), Dubai, Tunis, and finished his historic quest by completing the London Marathon on April 13th, hoping to raise almost $2.7 million along the way.

An article in the New Zealand Herald quoted Dave as saying:
"my Seven Magnificent Marathons will [...] prove to the world that sight loss is no barrier to independence and human achievement."

Paul Polman, Executive Officer of the Kilimanjaro Blind Trust, also completed the London Marathon in under 4 hours as part of his successful fund raising efforts for the Trust. A separate blog posting will follow...

Congratulations to both Paul and Dave for their amazing fundraising efforts for various blind-related causes!

Here's more about Dave's run:
BBC Article
Electric Newspaper Article
Interview with Dave

Former professor creates vibrating Braille handset

Here's an interesting innovation for you to read about - a vibrating cell phone for the blind - which may also lead to innovations in keyboard technology too. Check out the article in engadget.