Running ‘Virgin London Marathon’ Blindfolded

Two men from Surrey are hoping to achieve a first at this year’s London Marathon, while raising £15,000 for Guide Dogs. David Boon (of Walton-on-Thames) will be completely blindfolded and David Hartley (of Surbiton) will guide him around the 26.2 miles, dressed as a guide dog. The men, who go by the team name ‘rundoggyrun.co.uk’ will be put through their paces on 25 April 2010.

“This really is about tackling two challenges in one,” explained David Boon. “With so many people running the marathon, it’s easy to forget how tough it is just to run the distance. However, for blind and partially sighted people, just getting around town can be really difficult without the specialist help of a guide dog. So we thought we would add in the extra challenge of myself being blindfolded and David wearing a hot and heavy dog suit. It is a crazy plan but we really hope we can pull it off.”

The rundoggyrun.co.uk team have been sponsored by Eukanuba, the specialist dog food supplier. All the money raised will go to help Guide Dogs to provide freedom and independence to blind and partially sighted people. The two Davids are urging anyone who feels able to support them to go online and make a donation at www.rundoggyrun.co.uk.

David Hartley commented: “We wanted to do something really different to raise much-needed funds for Guide Dogs. This is the first time that anyone will have run the London Marathon in this way. We want to help people like Sarah, who lives nearby. She turned blind suddenly in her late twenties. The difference that Wheat, her guide dog, makes in her life is tremendous – she opens up what would otherwise be a very closed world for Sarah. Together, they are our inspiration!“

The rundoggyrun.co.uk team have found the training tough but very amusing at times. “It’s very unnerving even walking blindfolded, let alone running. I had no idea what I was letting myself in for. It’s quite scary when you bump into something or trip so I am relying completely on David as my guide.” explained David Boon.

David Hartley also has a tough time because the cartoon-style ‘dog suit’ is so hot and heavy. “We’re hoping it won’t be a really hot day,” he said.  “In training we’ve been amusing a lot of people in Richmond Park, who wonder why there is a giant dog emerging over the brow of a hill, with a blindfolded man in tow. The dog suit also has restricted visibility so we really have our work cut out! However, we are determined to make a difference and so grateful to everyone who is supporting us.”

Further information on other events in aid of Guide Dogs, call the Events Team on 0845 600 6787 or visiting www.guidedogs.org.uk/events