What happened Marla Runyan?
Legally blind since childhood, Olympic track and field athlete and marathon runner Marla Runyan never let her vision loss stand in the way of her athletic dreams. At age nine, Runyan developed Stargardt’s Disease, a form of macular degeneration that left her legally blind.
How old is Marla Runyan?
52 years (January 4, 1969)
Marla Runyan/Age
Did Marla Runyan retire?
Now retired from competitive running, Runyan is using her experience to help others, working as a teacher and ambassador at Perkins School for the Blind in Massachusetts and, as Northeastern University recently announced, a volunteer assistant coach for the school’s cross country and track and field program.
Who became 1st legally blind athlete to compete in Olympics?
Marla Runyan
Marla Runyan, the first legally blind athlete to compete in the Olympic Games, joined the Perkins community as a Secondary Program teacher in 2013. Starting this spring, she’s also serving as a Perkins spokesperson, inspiring audiences around the U.S. with her story.
Who became the first legally blind?
Marla Lee Runyan
Santa Maria, California, U.S. Marla Lee Runyan (married name Lonergan, born January 4, 1969) is an American track and field athlete, road runner and marathon runner who is legally blind. She is a three-time national champion in the women’s 5000 metres.
What is legally blind?
If you’re legally blind, your vision is 20/200 or less in your better eye or your field of vision is less than 20 degrees. That means if an object is 200 feet away, you have to stand 20 feet from it in order to see it clearly. But a person with normal vision can stand 200 feet away and see that object perfectly.
Who was the first blind person in Olympics?
Marla Runyan Most notably, she became the first legally blind athlete to participate in the Olympics at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where she placed eighth in the 1,500 meter – the highest finish by an American woman at that event.
Who was blind poet?
John Milton (1608–1674) has often been regarded as the greatest poet of his time, yet he did not compose his most famous work, Paradise Lost, until after he had become blind in both eyes.
Can you drive if your legally blind?
The legal vision requirements for driving a car with an unrestricted drivers licence in NSW is vision of 6/12 or better, tested with both eyes open. This is a huge development for anyone who is currently unable to obtain a drivers licence, particularly for patients like ours who are blind or visually impaired.
When did Marla Runyan get married to Matt Lonergan?
She married her coach, Matt Lonergan, in 2002, with whom she had a daughter in 2005. Although Runyan had hoped to make the 2008 Olympic team, back problems and surgery prevented it. She instead earned a second master’s degree in 2012 and began teaching the blind in Oregon schools.
What did Marla Runyan do with her retirement?
Now retired from competitive running, Runyan is using her experience to help others, working as a teacher and ambassador at Perkins School for the Blind in Massachusetts and, as Northeastern University recently announced, a volunteer assistant coach for the school’s cross country and track and field program.
Where did Marla Runyan finish in the Boston Marathon?
A world class runner, Runyan finished as the top American, with the second-fastest debut time by a woman, in the New York City Marathon. She finished fifth place in the Boston Marathon in 2003; seventh place in the Chicago Marathon in 2004, and first place in the Twin Cities Marathon in 2006.