The USABA Marathon National Championships, sponsored by Hanson McClain, take part in conjunction with the California International Marathon on December 3, 2017. 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 2017 visually impaired and blind field of runners taking part in the 2017 California International Marathon.

Ashley, Philip

Philip

Hometown: Alexandria, VA
Age: 44
B1, Glaucoma
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Finished 11 half and 2 full marathons
- Completed 1 Olympic triathlon, and five sprint triathlons
- 2017 Wilson Bridge Half-Marathon

Aukward, Joseph

Joseph

Hometown: Bethesda, MD
Age: 57
B1, Retinitis Pigmentosa
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- 2004 Athens Paralympian, Co-Captain Ambulatory USA Track and Field team
- Marathon PR Chicago Marathon 3:36
- Compete locally in Washington,D.C. area, Signature races Wilson Bridge Half and Washington Navy Yard 5K Remembrance Run.

Baheti, Sagar (India)

Sagar

Hometown: Bangalore, India
Age: 32
B3, Stargardts
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Boston Marathon 2017
- Tour of Nilgiris 2016 ( 974 kms cycling in 7 days in South India )
Media: ESPN Story

Balcom, Donald (Veteran)

Donald

Hometown: Hollywood, MD
Age: 44
B2, Retinitis Pigmentosa
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- 2016 Virgin Money London Marathon – 10th (T11/T12)
- 2016 IPC Marathon World Rankings – 9th (T12)
- 2015 Boston Marathon Blind/Visually-Impaired Division Champion (1670th)
Media: Twitter

Barkan, Will

Will

Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Age: 34
B3, Stargardts
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Solo-hiked 2,200 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail in 2016
- Finished the Headlands 50K August 2017, no falls
- North Central Trail Marathon 2012 3:37, first race 23 months after broken ankle and broken fibula

Bazgan, Corvin

Corvin

Hometown: San Carlos, CA
Age: 43
B3, Usher Syndrome
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Swam over 10+ Alcatraz swims
- Swam the Golden Gate in Sept 2016
- Ran 10 marathons, including. Boston, CIM, Victoria, Buffalo, and Twin Cities
Media: Santa Cruz Press Banner Article

Beecham, Jessica

Jessica

Hometown: Colorado Springs, CO
Age: 32
B2, Optic nerve hypoplasia
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Pikes Peak Ultra 50 Mile finisher
- Pikes Peak Marathon Finisher
- Biked the Natchez Trace Parkway

Bigoney, Dave (Veteran)

Dave

Hometown: Tallahassee, FL
Age: 44
B1, Gunshot Wound to Head
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- In 2005 at the CDA Idaho Ironman, I became the first totally Blind Triathlete to complete an Ironman Triathlon.

Blanks, Darren (UK Veteran)

Darren

Hometown: Egremont, Cumbria UK
Age: 30
B2, LHON
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Being a torch bearer for London 2012 Olympics
- Running in the London marathon for the first time
- Junior cross country running champion while in the British Army

Blume, Melissa

Melissa

Hometown: Jersey City, NJ
Age: 35
B3, nystagmus, cataracts & aniridia
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Completed the 2016 NYC Marathon
- Completed the 2017 Paris, France Marathon
- Completed the 2017 NYC Triathlon.

Broca, Adrian

Adrian

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Age: 40
B2, LHON
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- 2017 Ironman 70.3 Santa Cruz Finisher and PC division winner
- 2007 and 2010 Boston Marathon VI division winner
- 2013 American River 50 Mile Endurance Run Finisher.
Media: Youtube Video

Burke, Luanne

Hometown: Boulder, CO
Age: 56
B1, Retinitis Pigmentosa
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Third Place in Pike’s Peak Triple Crown-First Blind runner to race the Pikes Peak Ascent
- Competed in World Master’s Track and Field 2011: 400mtr and 800mtr
- World Champion Alpine Ski Race-Gold medal 4 events 1990-1.
Media: Video

Burns, Joe (Veteran)

Joe

Hometown: New Orleans, LA
Age: 72
B3, Landmine Explosion
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Have completed 15 Marathons (1978 PR 3:01:22)
- Have completed 12 short-distance triathlons

Butler, Anthony

Hometown: New York, NY
Age: 29
B1, Gunshot to the head
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Havana Half Marathon
- Montreal Half Marathon
- Attempting to run 5 marathons in 2017
Media: Listen to Episode 11: Bright Eyes from Human Race in Podcasts.

Chan, John

John

Hometown: Staten Island, NY
Age: 52
B3, Congenital
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- 2016 Steamtown Marathon: AG Boston Qualifier for 50 -54 (3:26:53) and was also my best Marathon time since being diagnose with Lupus
- 2016 Cambridge Half Marathon : placed 1st in the visually impaired division (1:38).
- 2017 NYC Olympic Distance Triathlon: 2nd overall in the Challenged athlete division
Media: NY Daily News Sports Article

Contreras, Romero (Veteran)

Romero

Hometown: Oceanside, CA
Age: 71
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

Chaz

Hometown: Littleton, CO
Age: 24
B2, Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy(LHON
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- 3x American record holder (1500 m, 5000 m, marathon)
- 2016 Paralympian
Media: Runner’s World Rio Article.

Davis, Katie

Katie

Hometown: Sacramento, CA
Age: 31
B2, Aniridia
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Paralympics London 2012 judo +70kg
- 2010 IBSA Judo World Championships, 2nd place, 78kg
- 2017 Parapan American Games, 2nd place, +70kg

DeGuzman, Maria

Maria

Hometown: Round Lake, IL
Age: 36
B1, Retinoblastoma
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- 2013 Chicago Marathon: 1st marathon completed after 6-months training
- 2014 & 2015 Boston Marathon

Dever, Sarah

Sarah

Hometown: Berkeley, CA
Age: 31
B2, Ushers (RP)
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Boston 2 Big Sur challenge finisher

Donnell, Annie

Annie

Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri (current student Belmont University, Nashville, TN)
Age: 20
B1, Retinopothy of Prematurity (ROP)
Personal athletic highlights:
- I loved running the 400 in high school at track meets.
- I am glad I found Achilles to continue running last January while being at Belmont University for college.
- I enjoyed running in my first 5K this year with Achilles Nashville.

Duenas, Tony

Tony

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Age: 50
B3, Retinal Detachment
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- 2017 Boston Marathon Finisher
- 2017 Ironman Santa Rosa Finisher
- 2016 Alcatraz Triathlon

Dunkerley, Jason (Canada)

Jason

Hometown: Ottawa, Canada
Age: 40
B1, Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- 5-time Paralympic medallist in T11 middle distance track events representing Canada.
- Second place in 2017 World Para Athletics Championships 1500m (T11)
Media: Article

Elder, Tim

Hometown: Fremont, CA

Han, David

David

Hometown: Santa Clara, CA
Age: 22
B1, Leber Congenital Amaurosis
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Completed Big Sur Half Marathon
- Completed half marathon at Go Green Saint Patrick’s Day run, first sub 2:00 half marathon
- Completed first marathon at CIM 2015 and qualified for the Boston Marathon under the VI division (4:21:12).

Hofheimer, Stephen (Veteran)

Stephen

Hometown: Clearwater, Fl
Age: 69
B1, Alkaline burn
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Ran 3:36 in the San Francisco Marathon on 7/27/84
- Climbed Half dome in Yosemite 3 times
- High School Soccer 1964-1966

Hunter, Richard (Veteran)

Richard

Hometown: Folsom, CA
Age: 50
B2, Retinitis Pigmentosa
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Completing 2011 Ironman Florida in 11:55.
- Completing the 2013 CIM, 2014 Boston Marathon and 2014 Alcatraz Sharkfest Swim, all within 11-months of breaking my neck in a tandem bicycle vs. car accident.
- Completing the 2017 Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Run (24 hours 29 minutes)
Media: CBS News Segment

Jones, Dwaine

Dwaine

Hometown: Nashville, TN
Age: 27
B3, Aniridia and Astigmatism
Personal athletic highlights:
- Nashville Half marathon on November 12, 2016

Jones, Ricky

Ricky

Hometown: Madison TN
Age: 37
B1, Glaucoma, Aniridia, Stigmatism
Personal athletic highlights:
- Played 4 year’s of High School Football at Oak Ridge High School despite being legally blind
- Completed 2 New York Full Marathons in 2014 and 2015
- Reestablished the TN Association of Blind Athletes with 10 – 12 athletic programs

Khayyam, Theresa

Theresa

Hometown: Goodlettsville, TN
Age: 52
B1, Scar tissue on retina due to eye infection
Personal athletic highlights:
- Since 2012 completed 2 NYC marathons, 2 Nashville rock and roll country music marathons, and 9 half marathons

Kloehn, Ian

Ian

Hometown: Kansas City, MO
Age: 23
B3, Optic Nerve Atrophy
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Won the VI Division of the 2017 Boston Marathon
Media: Article

Kuhn, David

David

Hometown: DeKalb, IL
Age: 65
B1, Staphyloma – stretching of the retinas
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Over 50 marathons in 19 states.
- 2 X Ironman
- Ran from Seattle, Washington to Kenosha, Wisconsin for granddaughter with cystic fibrosis in 2014.
Media: Article

Lopez, Guillermo (Veteran)

Guillermo

Hometown: San Antonio, TX
Age: 24
B3, LHON
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Member of USABA Veteran Goalball
- Placed 4th in Beepball World Series as member of San Antonio Jets
- Bronze medals in tandem cycling and track and field events at the 2017 Warrior Games
Media: Youtube Video

Lynch, Alison

Alison

Hometown: New York, NY
Age: 30
B3, Achromatopsia
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Raced at the 2017 triathlon national championships for paratriathlon, and placed first in the open division
- 2017 NYC Marathon (1st Marathon)

McGonigle, Pam

Pam

Hometown: Ardmore, PA
Age: 49
B2, Albinism
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Four-Time, Multiple Medalist Paralympian (track and field; 1992, 1996, 2000,2004)
- Paralympic Gold medalist-Barcelona Spain (1992) 3000m
- USABA National, Paralympic, and International Paralympic Committee World Record holder in various track events (1991 - 2004)
Media: Runner’s World Article

Monroe, Tom (Veteran)

Tom

Hometown: Pueblo, CO
Age: 64
B3, Detached Retina
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- 2009 USABA World Powerlifting Meet in Miami
- 2010 to 2016 CIM participant
- 2016 Powerlifting team member in Colorado Springs (team made state records for age groups)

Nagasawa, Nobuko (Japan)

Nobuko

Hometown: Funabashi City, Japan
Age: 59
B1, Glaucoma

Pennington, Chris

Chris

Hometown: Nunnelly TN
Age: 41
B1, totally blind. Vision loss in the left eye was due to a detached retina. Vision loss in the right eye was due to an infection after having glaucoma surgery.
Personal athletic highlight:
- NYC Marathon 2014

Pierce, Randy

Randy

Hometown: Nashua, NH
Age 51:
B1, Optic Neuritis
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- 2014 B1 National Marathon Champion
- 2015 Summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro
- 3x Tough Mudder Completion
Media: Link

Ray, Christy

Christy

Hometown: Madison, Tennessee
Age: 34 years old
B2, Macular degeneration
Personal athletic highlight:
- Completing the New York Marathon 2014
- Cycling 45 miles on a tandem bicycle
- Competing in a regional goal ball tournament

Robidoux, Kyle

Kyle

Hometown: Boston, MA
Age: 41
B2, Retinitis Pigmentosa
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Completing the Vermont 100 Endurance Trail race
- Training more than 60 sighted guides for fellow runners who are B/VI
- Finishing four consecutive Boston Marathons.
Media: News Story

Romero, Jason

Jason

Hometown: Denver, CO
Age: 47
B3, Retinitis Pigmentosa
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Ran 3,063 miles across America (LA2NY) in 59.5 days
- 10+ finishes of 100 miles, or longer, races
- US Paralympian (4th in the world at the marathon in 2015)
Media: WWW.RELENTLESSROMERO.COM

Schallert, Allison

Allison

Hometown: Malden, MA
Age: 26
B3, Retinitis Pigmentosa
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Cambridge Half Marathon 2016 (first half marathon/race)
- Hiked the Grand Canyon 2017
- Trained with the USA Paralympic Biathlon team in 2016

Somsan, Michael (Veteran)

Michael

Hometown: Gilbert, AZ
Age: 47
B1, Gunshot wound to the head
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Kona Ironman World Championship Finisher and 1st Place in PC Division
- Boston Marathon Finisher 2016
- National Team Para-cycling and Olympic hopeful in 2020
Media: Video

Spurrell, Craig (Canada)

Hometown: Toronto Canada
Age: 52
B1, Retinitis Pigmentosa
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Sailed from Costa Rica to Tahiti
- Best half Marathon 2:06:05
- Best marathon 5:33

Stevens, JT

Hometown: Ardmore, PA
Age: 15
B3, Albinism
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Debut half marathon at 14 years old (1.51.23)
- Finished as 3rd Visually Impaired male at Achilles Hope and Possibility 4 Miler in Central Park
- Captain of middle school cross country team (last year)

Walton, Branden

Branden

Hometown: San Diego, CA
Age: 19
B3, Macular Degeneration and Rod-Cone Dystrophy
Proudest athletic accomplishments:
- Gold in the 800 and silver in the 1500 in Switzerland. While representing USA at the world Para athletics junior championship
- Gold medals at Paralympic Nationals in 2017 in the 1500 and 800
- Paralympic high school all American junior and senior year of high school. 2015 and 2016
Media: Article

Wentzy, Susan

Susan

Hometown: Silver Spring, MD
Age: 36
B3, Retinopathy of Prematurity and Glaucoma
Proudest athletic
- The 2017 CIM is my first marathon.
- Completed the 2016 Dave Parcells Madison Sprint Triathlon in 1:58
- Attended Dare2tri Paratriathlon 2015 and 2016 training camps.

Zundel, Stephanie

Stephanie

Hometown: Nashville, TN
Age: 22
B1, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (allergic reaction to ibuprofen) age 3
Personal athletic highlights:
- Boston Marathon 2017
- NYC Marathon 2016
- Black belt karate
Media: Article

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.