Vision-impaired runner raises awareness for sport on P.E.I.

Todd MacAusland isn't letting his deteriorating eyesight deter him from taking on new challenges — recently the Stratford, P.E.I., man ran 80 kilometres from Summerside to Charlottetown to raise awareness about vision loss.

When he was 11 years old MacAusland was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic condition that causes gradual vision loss. 

"For a long time I did my best to keep it a secret," said MacAusland, now 47. "It's just been now the last couple of years I've really openly started talking about it." 

'All about raising awareness'

Over three days in late September, MacAusland ran from Summerside to Charlottetown on the Confederation Trail, finishing at the CNIB, a non-profit organization that advocates for and delivers programming to blind Canadians. 

"It was a great run all along, the trail system was awesome to run on," MacAusland said, noting he had support-cyclists with him and, on the final day, was joined by about 25 other runners. 

"It was all about raising awareness and I think we did a very good job."

He has about 10 degrees of peripheral vision left, he explained, and can no longer do some things like drive a car. He continues to work, using computer programs that enable him to see the computer screen or listen to the words.

"The message would be to change what you can, manage what you can't, and keep moving forward," MacAusland said. 

'No impairment at all'

MacAusland took up running seven years ago and was quickly bitten by the running bug. He's completed several marathons including the Boston Marathon in 2017. 

"There's a huge group of vision-impaired runners both in North America and worldwide, so that kind of gave me some encouragement to keep running because I knew it was something I could continue to do as my vision progressed along." 

The P.E.I. running community has been very supportive and people will volunteer to guide for him, he added. 

Guides call out obstacles such as curbs or low tree branches. In a crowded setting like a race, guides will tether themselves to MacAusland with a short piece of rope. 

"Make me feel like once we start running, there's really no impairment at all," he said. 

He started by running just 15 minutes a day on a treadmill, MacAusland said, and it grew from there. 

"Running was a form of therapy for me really, for what was going on, for my eyes. It gave me time to get outside and be by myself and think about what's going on and what was in store ahead of me. When I finished running I always felt good, I felt great." 

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