The USABA Marathon National Championships, sponsored by Allworth Financial, take part in conjunction with the California International Marathon on December 4, 2022. Since the CIM adopted the Visually Impaired Division in 2007, participation of visually impaired and blind runners has steadily grown from 2 to nearly 50 participants. Runners travel from across the United States and from other nations. Participants include blinded veterans, Paralympic athletes, World Champions, and many novice runners just beginning their athletic careers. Each athlete has a compelling and unique story of their own, and together are able to inspire, educate and change the public’s perception of vision loss.
I am proud to introduce you to the visually impaired and blind field of runners taking part in the 2022 California International Marathon.
Ahmed, Nafij
- Hometown: Arlington, VA
- Age: 28
- B3, Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP)
- Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Completing my first 50K race during the 2022 MCM
- Completing my first Chicago Marathon and fourth overall in 2022
- Completing the full CIM for the first time in 2021
Bazgan, Corvin
- Hometown: San Carlos, CA
- Age: 47
- B3, Usher Syndrome
- Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Finished the Ironman Arizona 2018
- Swam over 10+ Alcatraz swims
- Ran 10+ marathons, including. Boston, CIM, Victoria, Houston, Buffalo, and Twin Cities
- Media: Santa Cruz Press Banner Article
Burket, Joe
- Hometown: Louisville, KY
- Age: 40
- B2, Lebers Hereditary Optic Neuropathy
- Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Second place in the visual impaired division at the 125th Boston Marathon
- Half marathon PR at the 2022 Urban Bourbon Half Marathon with a time of 1:27
- Marathon PR at last year‘s 2021 California International Marathon with a time of 3:08
- Media: Article
Butler, Anthony
- Hometown: New York, NY
- Age: 32
- B1, Gunshot to the head
- Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Have completed 6 marathons
- Have completed 23 half-marathons
- Have completed an Olympic triathlon
- Media: Listen to Episode 11: Bright Eyes from Human Race in Podcasts.
Cain, Janet
- Hometown: Sonoma, CA
- Age: 71
- T13, Glaucoma
- Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Winner 1985 Rome marathon
- Course record Napa Marathon 60-64
- 19 Boston Marathons
- Media: Article)
Clausell, Kenneth
- Hometown: San Jose, CA
- Age: 50
- B3, Corneal rejections from failed transplants, keratoconus.
- Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
- Hiked Mt. Whitney 2018
- Have ran in 3 full marathons
- Coached track for 3 years
Contreras, Ramiro (Veteran)
- Hometown: Oceanside, CA
- Age: 76
- B3, Stargardts
- Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- 3rd place pommel horse in USA Nationals for the US Air Force Academy
- 2:52 Heart Association Marathon ~ mid-80s
- 36:06 10K on hilly course again sometime in the mid-80’s
Davis, Chaz
- Hometown: Boston, MA
- Age: 29
- B2, Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON)
- Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Winner of the inaugural Para Athletic Division at the 125th Boston Marathon
- 2016 Paralympian in Athletics
- 4x USABA Marathon National Champion
- Media: Runner’s World Rio Article.
Duenas, Tony
- Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
- Age: 55
- 20/800, retinal detachment in both eyes
- Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Finished Alcatraz triathlon
- Finishing my first Ironman in 2017
- Finishing my first CIM and going to Boston the next year (2016 finished CIM and then again in ‘17 an ‘18 - Boston ‘17, ‘18 and ‘19)
France, Alexander
- Hometown: Omaha, NE
- Age: 22
- B2, Retinitis Pigmentosa
- Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Two time NAIA National qualifier & NAIA All-American in the marathon
- Midland University half marathon record holder
- Assistant Coach at Cornerstone High School: Class D 2022 state cross country champions
Han, David
- Hometown: Santa Clara, CA
- Age: 27
- B1, Leber Congenital Amaurosis
- Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Completed first marathon at CIM 2015 and qualified for the Boston Marathon under the VI division (4:21:12)
- Go Green Saint Patrick’s Day run 2016, first sub 2:00 half marathon
- San Francisco First Responders Stair Climb 2019
Hernandez, Lupita
- Hometown: Tucson, AZ
- Age: 49
- total blindness from birth from not having my optic nerves
- Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Receiving a gold medal in El Tour de Tucson an 109-mile tandem bike race
- Beginning a Tucson chapter of Achilles for people with disabilities to cross the finish line
- Completing this year’s El Tour de Tucson despite an accident and flat tire
Kuhn, David
- Hometown: DeKalb, IL
- Age: 70
- B1, Posterior staphaloma.(Stretching of the retinas from an accident with a drunk driver - 1981)
- Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Ran 1,899 miles from Seattle, Washington to Kenosha, Wisconsin, for my granddaughter who has cystic fibrosis in 2014.
- Guided by Chris Martinez, who will be guiding me at the CIM again, for the first time EVER, I beat my 19 year younger buddy Alberto, in the Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, sprint triathlon in2021. I took second, he took third. It was a once in a lifetime glorious day
- Qualified for and ran Boston Marathon, 2012, 2013 and 2014
- Media: Article
Lang, Daryl
- Hometown: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Age: 38
- B1, ROP, Glaucoma
- Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
- Two-time marathon Runner (CIM 2022 will be my third)
- Finished one of those marathons on nothing more than sheer force of will
- Playing goalball on the Alberta Provincial team (2008-2015)
Laramie, William
- Hometown: Hammond, IN
- Age: 51
- B2, Usher Sydrome
- Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
- Completed Boston and NYC Marathons
- Finished 2nd in overall standings of ParaDevelopment Triathlon Series 2022
- Completed 70.3 Ironman
Loomer, Jessica
- Hometown: Denver, CO
- Age: 36
- B12, Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy
- Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- After vision loss, finding this amazing sport where I have met some of he best friends I could ever ask for!
- Loving every race I have ever ran!
Lynch, Alison
- Hometown: New York, NY
- Age: 35
- B3, Chromatopsia
- Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Have competed in several races boasting “worst weather of all time,” including Boston 2018 and Lake Placid 70.3 2019
- Set my marathon PR in the 2021 NYC Marathon even though I will complain endlessly about how much I hate running bridges and gradual hills
- Was nominated to be the anchor leg of a donut mile relay team and despite being the slowest to eat my donut, ran the fastest 400m
Monroe, Thomas Roy (Veteran)
- Hometown: Pueblo, CO
- Age: 69
- B3, Detached retina, glaucoma and visual field loss in both eyes
- Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- I have been with USABA since 2009, to include this being my 10th CIM participation, ALL as Vietnam era Veteran
- I have been active with USABA Powerlifting team since 2009 thru 2019, after pandemic period I want to continue to represent my era of Veterans
- I have been able, because of Vocational Rehabilitation sponsorship, to return to work as Teacher at Robert McGarvey Elementary School in Rancho Cordova, Calif. I am working in the learning center, with mild to moderate learning/disabled aged students. I stress the importance of sports/physical activity as positive way to better yourself in academics and in life
Murrell, Jasmine
- Hometown: Plainfield, NJ
- Age: 34
- B2, Glaucoma
- Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Team USA Delegation Member for the 2019 ParaPan American Games in Lima, Peru
- Completed 6 half marathons, this will be my 7th one as part of my first relay team
- Ran a PR at the 2022 Houston Aramco Half Marathon of 1hour and 50minutes, looking to set another PR very soon!
Nguyen, Newton
- Hometown: Berkeley, CA
- Age: 28
- B1, Retinitis Pigmentosa
- Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- 1st Place National Collegiate Triathlon Championships PC Division 2015 and 2016
- Part of 1st VI team to race Hood to Coast Relay
- Ran LA and Chicago Marathons
Oberholzer, Roger
- Hometown: Folsom, CA
- Age: 50
- B1, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome
- Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
- 2021 CIM Boston Marathon Qualification
- 2022 Boston Marathon Finisher
- 2022 NYC Marathon Finisher
Oliver, Matthew
- Hometown: San Diego, CA
- Age: 33
- B2, (LHON) Lebers Hereditary Optic Neuropathy
- Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
- 2015 San Diego Holiday half marathon - 1:18
- 2016 Texas Ironman - Completed
- 2017 Boston Marathon - 2:52
Orcel, Kevin
- Hometown: Miami, FL
- Age 31
- B2, Glaucoma
- Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- My proudest accomplishments comes from earning a mental in every event at the Desert Games Gran Prix Track & Field
Ramirez, Irwin
- Hometown: Alexandria, VA
- Age: 34
- B2, Retinitis Pigmentosa
- Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- 2019 Boston Marathon 4th place VI Division
- 8 marathons completed
Sanchas, Rob (Veteran)
- Hometown: Warren, RI
- Age: 54
- B3, Accident while in the US Army
- Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
- Won four gold medals in the inaugural Military World Indoor Invitational Rowing Championship in Györ, Hungary
- Participated in the Achilles International’s first ever 650-mile Achilles Resiliency Relay that started in Charlotte, NC, and ended in Central Park
- Assisted a young man conquer his fear while frozen on top of an obstacle during an obstacle course race
- Media: Article
Strong, Eric Rainere
- Hometown: Charlotte, NC
- Age: 39
- B1, Congenital Glaucoma
- Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
- Taking 2nd in Boston Marathon for t11-t12 division
- First blind athlete to complete Vermont 100 twice
- Finished over 20 marathons
- Media: Achilles Charlotte
Sponsors
USABA would like to thank our 2022 major sponsors. Without their support, this event would not be possible.
Presenting Sponsor
Allworth Financial
Event Sponsors
Healthy Vision Association
Delta Gamma Fraternity
Society for the Blind
IBSA Visual Classifications
Class B1
No light perception in either eye up to light perception, but inability to recognize the shape of a hand at any distance or in any direction.
Class B2
From ability to recognize the shape of a hand up to visual acuity of 20/600 and/or a visual field of less than 5 degrees in the best eye with the best practical eye correction.
Class B3
From visual acuity above 20/600 and up to visual acuity of 20/200 and/or a visual field of less than 20 degrees and more than 5 degrees in the best eye with the best practical eye correction.