The USABA Marathon National Championships, sponsored by Hanson McClain, take part in conjunction with the California International Marathon on December 2, 2018. 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 2018 visually impaired and blind field of runners taking part in the 2018 California International Marathon.

Ashley, Philip

• Hometown: Alexandria, VA
• Age: 45
• B1, Glaucoma
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Helped restart the Washington DC Achilles Chapter
  • Finished 11 half and 3 full marathons
  • Completed 1 Olympic triathlon, and five sprint triathlons

Balcom, Donald (Veteran)

• Hometown: Hollywood, MD
• Age: 45
• 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

Bazgan, Corvin

• Hometown: San Carlos, CA
• Age: 44
• B3, Usher Syndrome
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Finished the IMSC 70.3 2018
  • Swam over 10+ Alcatraz swims
  • Ran 10+ marathons, including. Boston, CIM, Victoria, Buffalo, and Twin Cities
• Media: Santa Cruz Press Banner Article

Berlin, Dan

• Hometown: Fort Collins, CO
• Age: 48
• B2, Cone Rod Dystrophy
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • Completed the 2018 Race Across America with Team Sea to See, a four-tandem team in 7 days, 15 hours, 3 minutes, cycling 3,089 miles from Oceanside, CA, to Annapolis, MA.
  • Ran rim-to-rim-to-rim across the Grand Canyon and back in 2014.
  • Ran the Inca Trail to Machu Pichu in less than 13 hours.
• Media: WSJ Article

Bigoney, Dave (Veteran)

• Hometown: Tallahassee, FL
• Age: 45
• 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.

Bogart, Joe (Veteran)

• Hometown: Alexandria, VA
• Age: 45
• B3, Wounds received in combat in Iraq
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • Completed 8 Army Ten Milers with the first while deployed to Iraq in 2008 and placed 1st in the 2016 and 2nd in the 2015 Army Ten Miler Visually Impaired Men division
  • Completed the Bass Pro Marathon in 2016
  • Completed the 2011 Fort Leonard Wood 35th Engineer Battalion Warrior Non-Standard

Brandvold, Juli

• Hometown: Great Falls MT
• Age: 42
• B2, Stargardts

Broca, Adrian

• Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
• Age: 41
• B2, Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy.
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • 2018 Ironman Canada Finisher and Division Champion
  • 2013 American River 50 Mile Endurance Run finisher
  • 2007 and 2010 Boston Marathon VI Division Champion
• Media: Youtube Video

Burke, Luanne

• Hometown: Boulder, CO
• Age: 57
• 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: 400m and 800m
  • World Champion Alpine Ski Race-Gold medal 4 events 1990-1.
• Media: Video

Butler, Anthony

• Hometown: New York, NY
• Age: 30
• 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.

Clausell, Kenneth

• Hometown: San Jose, CA
• Age: 46
• 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, Romero (Veteran)

• Hometown: Oceanside, CA
• Age: 72
• 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

Cook, Mindy

• Hometown: Columbus, OH
• Age: 30
• B3, Genetic at birth
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • Completed Columbus marathon

Davis, Chaz

• Hometown: Englewood, CO
• Age: 25
• B2, Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON)
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • National Records in 1500m-3:58, 5000m-15:15, marathon-2:31.48
  • Boston Marathon Finisher (2018)
  • Paralympian (Rio 2016)
• Media: Runner’s World Rio Article.

Davis, Katie

• Hometown: Sacramento, CA
• Age: 32
• B2, Aniridia
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Paralympics London 2012 judo +70kg
  • Visually impaired judo world team 2010, 2011, 2014, 2018
  • First half marathon was in 2007 in SF
• Media: Team USA Page

Dewalque, Nicolas

• Hometown: Brussels - Belgium
• Age: 31
• B3, Congenital
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • National Champion and Paratriathlete of the Year in 2015
  • Finisher of the Red Bull Neptune Steps in Glasgow and Linkoping 2017
  • Finisher of the Dublin Marathon in 2016 and the New York Marathon in 2017
• Media: Facebook Page

Dillon, Shannon

• Hometown: Folsom, CA
• Age: 45
• B1, Retinoblastoma

Duenas, Marco

• Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
• Age: 51
• B3, Retinal Detachment
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • 2017 Boston Marathon Finisher
  • 2017 Ironman Santa Rosa Finisher
  • 2016 Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon

Dunkerley, Jason (Canada)

• Hometown: Ottawa, Canada
• Age: 41
• B1, Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • 5-time Paralympic medalist in T11 middle distance track events (1500m and 5000m) representing Canada.
  • Second place in 2017 World Para Athletics Championships 1500m (T11)
  • 2nd in VI category at the 2017 CIM
• Media: Article

Goodrich, Ryne

• Hometown: Knoxville, TN
• Age: 29
• B2, Retinitis Pigmentosa
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • Completed 5 half marathons
  • High School all district offensive lineman

Groeber, Deborah

• Hometown: Glenside, PA
• Age: 52
• B2, Stargardt’s
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • Ran first 5k two weeks before turning 50 years old.
  • Ran first half-marathon in June 2018
  • Became first deaf-blind individual certified to teach alpine skiing by the Professional Ski instructors of America (PSIA-East )taught Adaptive Skiing for over 10-years)

Han, David

• Hometown: Santa Clara, CA
• Age: 23
• 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).

Henigsmith, Mat (Veteran)

• Hometown: San Antonio, TX
• Age: 39
• B3, Stargardts

Hornik, Timothy (Veteran)

• Hometown: Lawrence, KS
• Age: 39
• B1, Combat injuries in Iraq
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • 2017 Dirty Kanza 200mi Gravel Race 1st Place Tandem Class Champion
  • 2018 Boston Marathon finisher
  • Tossed out first pitch at KC Royals V White Sox game on September 11, 2018

Hunter, Richard (Veteran)

• Hometown: Folsom, CA
• Age: 51
• 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

Hurdman, Elizabeth

• Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
• Age: 61
• B2, Retinitis Pigmentosa
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • 1st Canadian woman with a visual impairment to compete in the Boston Marathon (placed 3rd)
  • 1st place woman, Canandaigua 50 Mile Ultra (Veteran record holder with time of 8:54)
  • 1st visually impaired woman to complete 100-mile ultra (Umstead, NC 2007, 1st female in50 plus age group)

Kinoshita, Michael

• Hometown: Folsom, CA
• Age: 23
• B3, Rod-Cone Dystrophy
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • 2012 US Paralympic Team Trails qualifier
  • 2011, 2012, 2013 US Paralympic High School Track & Field All-American (800m/1500m/5000m)
  • Collegiate Cross Country & Track and Field Athlete

Kuhn, David

• Hometown: DeKalb, IL
• Age: 66
• B1, Posterior Staphaloma. Stretching of the retinas from an accident with a drunk driver.
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Over 50 marathons in 20 states.
  • Have completed 4 full Ironmans
  • Ran 1,899 miles from Seattle, Washington to Kenosha, Wisconsin for granddaughter with cystic fibrosis in 2014.
• Media: Article

Liang, Lily

• Hometown: Berkeley, CA
• Age: 30
• B3, Retinitis Pigmentosa
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • Boston Marathon (2018)
  • Big Sur Marathon (2017)
  • California International Marathon (2016)

Loomer, Jessica

• Hometown: Tucson, AZ
• Age: 32
• B2, Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • I am a happy runner - I have been pretty lucky to have the opportunity to run CIM, New York City and the Boston Marathon within the last 5 years. I am most proud of the amazing friendships I have made though this awesome sport. You will probably find me on the course dancing to Pitbull.

Lynch, Alison

• Hometown: New York, NY
• Age: 31
• B3, Achromatopsia
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Completed the 2018 Boston Marathon
  • Placed 2nd in the Female PC division at the 2018 New York City Triathlon
  • Completed first half Ironman in September 2018 at Lake Placid 70.3

Money, Doug (Veteran)

• Hometown: Sacramento, CA
• Age: 74
• B2, Optic Neuropathy
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • 3:01 Marathon Finish (1980)
  • Ran a 4:16 mile while in college (1971)
  • Ran New York City Marathon at Age 60 & Los Angeles Marathon at Age 70

Monroe, Tom (Veteran)

• Hometown: Pueblo, CO
• Age: 65
• B3, Detached Retina
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • 2009 USABA World Powerlifting Meet in Miami
  • 2010 to 2017 CIM participant
  • 2016 Powerlifting team member in Colorado Springs (team made state records for age groups)

Oberholzer, Roger

• Hometown: Folsom, CA
• Age: 46
• B1, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • 2016 BORP Revolution,
  • 2017 Blind Stokers Club Cycling for Sight event
  • 2018 Blind Stokers Club Cycling for Sight event

Pierce, Randy

• Hometown: Nashua, NH
• Age 52
• B1, Optic Neuritis - Mitochondrial
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • 2014 B1 National Marathon Champion
  • 3x Tough Mudder Completion
  • 2015 Summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro
• Media: Link

Rutherford, Joseph

• Hometown: Suisun City, CA
• Age: 27
• B2, Shot in the face in a hunting accident
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • Within the last year, ran 5 half-marathons in 4 different cities
• Media: Article

Rifenburg, Peter

• Hometown: East Aurora, NY
• Age: 18
• B4, Retinoblastoma
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • Qualified for USA Triathlon Age Group Nationals twice,
  • Competed in the pentathlon in high school.
  • Placed 2nd in age group at first marathon,
• Media: Article

Robidoux, Kyle

• Hometown: Boston, MA
• Age: 42
• B2, Retinitis Pigmentosa
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Finishing Vermont 100, which was my first 100 mile endurance race.
  • Works with MABVI and manages United in Stride
  • Ambassador with Topo Athletic and Nathan Sports
• Media: Youtube

Robinson, Grant

• Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
• Age: 51
• B3, Congenital Cataracts at birth from Rubella
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • Boston 2018
  • New York 2017
  • World Blind Sailing 2013

Rodjom, Matthew

• Hometown: Fairfax, VA
• Age: 38
• B2, Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • Represented USA at International Paralympic Marathon World Cup Marathon
  • 1st Place Runner at 2010 USABA marathon championships
  • 3rd Place 5k at 2016 US Paralympic trials
• Media: Article

Romero, Jason

• Hometown: Denver, CO
• Age: 48
• 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

Ross, Katie

• Hometown: Iron Mountain, MI
• Age: 28
• B3, Ocular Albinism
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • Boston Marathon 5th in the VI women’s division
  • Wisconsin State Champion show water skier

Sanchas, Rob (Veteran)

• Hometown: Warren, RI
• Age: 50
• B3, Accident while in the US Army
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • Ran five marathons in one year.
  • Competed in the C.R.A.S.H. B Sprints World Indoor Rowing Championship 2017.
  • Learning to swim so I can complete a triathlon.
• Media: Youtube Video

Sediva, Regine

• Hometown: Brea, CA
• Age: 51
• B3, Optic Atrophy
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • Ran the 2018 Goofy challenge in Disney World (39.3 Miles in Two days).
  • 2017 Rock and Roll Half-Marathon
  • Ran the 2013 and 2014 Boston Marathons
• Media: Google Drive File

Somsan, Michael (Veteran)

• Hometown: Gilbert, AZ
• Age: 48
• B1, Gunshot wound to the head
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Nationals Cycling Championships 2018
  • USABA Tri camp 2018
  • Kona Ironman World Championship Finisher and 1st Place in PC Division
• Media: Video

Spurrell, Craig (Canada)

• Hometown: Toronto Canada
• Age: 53
• B1, Adam9 Cone-rod Dystrophy
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Qualified for the Boston marathon
  • Sailed from Costa Rica to Tahiti
  • Cycled the Oregon coast

Stamper, Robert Dale (Veteran)

• Hometown: Hayden, ID
• Age: 70
• B1, Trauma from a landmine in Vietnam
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • Ran in the Bloom’s Day run in Spokane Washington three times
  • CIM relay participant 2015 & 2017,

Walton, Branden

• Hometown: Georgetown, CO
• Age: 20
• 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
  • 2 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

Wofsey, Jill

• Hometown: Alford, FL
• Age: 55
• B3, Congenital nystagmus and astigmatism
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments
  • Qualifying for the Boston Marathon for the first time in 2013
  • Winning the 1st Place Dothan (Alabama) Runners Club Grand Prix award
  • making it through the 2018 Boston Marathon in treacherous weather!

Sponsors

USABA would like to thank our 2018 major sponsors. Without their support, this event would not be possible.

Title Sponsor

Hanson McClain

Platinum: ($10,000 and above)

Healthy Vision Association

Gold: ($5,000 - $9,999)

Aira
Delta Gamma Fraternity
Department of Veteran’s Affairs
The Gibney Family Foundation
Sacramento Running Association

Silver: ($2,500 - $4,999)

Andrew O’Driscoll & Maureen Kelly

Bronze: ($1,000 - $2,499)

Amazon
Blinded Veterans Association Operation Peer Support
Greg & Noel Bricca
Eric M. Lindsey Prosthetic Artists
Eric Waterman
Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Michael Schermer
Paralympic Sport Sacramento
Society for the Blind
Vanda (Non-24)

Friend: ($500)

Thomas Kidwell

Donate

Run for a Reason Page

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.