The USABA Marathon National Championships, sponsored by Allworth Financial, take part in conjunction with the California International Marathon on December 8, 2019. 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 2019 visually impaired and blind field of runners taking part in the 2019 California International Marathon.

Ahmed, Nafij

• Hometown: Queens, New York, NY
• Age: 25
• B3, Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP)
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • 2018 NYC TD Fiive Boro Bike Tour
  • 2019 NYC TD Fiive Boro Bike Tour
  • 2019 Washington DC Cherry Blossom Ten Miler

Ashley, Philip

• Hometown: Alexandria, VA
• Age: 46
• 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
• Media: Crowdrise Page

Baskis, Steven (Veteran)

• Hometown: Montrose, CO
• Age: 33
• B1, War Combat Injury
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Climbed on 3 of the 7 summits
  • Bronze Medal in Road Cycling Paralympic National Championships
  • Kayaked 226 miles of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon
• Media: Website

Bazgan, Corvin

• Hometown: San Carlos, CA
• Age: 45
• 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

Bogart, Joe (Veteran)

• Hometown: Alexandria, VA
• Age: 46
• 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
  • Hiking the Half Bataan Death March 2018
  • The only blind person to run a Satellite Army Ten Miler in a Combat Zone

Burket, Joe

• Hometown: Louisville, KY
• Age: 37
• B2, LHON
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Before going blind play baseball collegiately at Bellarmine University
  • In my only blind Beep baseball tournament made the all tournament team.
  • In my last race set a PR with a 1:29.03 at the Kentucky derby festival mini marathon.

Butler, Anthony

• Hometown: New York, NY
• Age: 31
• 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.

Chan, John

• Hometown: Staten Island, NY
• Age: 54
• 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

Clausell, Kenneth

• Hometown: San Jose, CA
• Age: 47
• 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: 73
• 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: 26
• 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: 33
• 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

Dever, Sarah

• Hometown: Berkeley, CA
• Age: 33
• B2, Ushers (RP)
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • First registered VI runner to run BSIM/B2B

Dillon, Shannon

• Hometown: Folsom, CA
• Age: 46
• B1, Retinoblastoma

Duenas, Marco

• Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
• Age: 52
• 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: 42
• 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

Elam, Everett

• Hometown: Mountain View, AR
• Age: 31
• B1, Optic Hypoplasia, Glaucoma, Cateracts
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Soaring Wings Half-Marathon time: 1:51
  • Little Rock Go Mile: 6:36:00
  • Little Rock Marathon Finisher: 5:45:00

Fernandez, Adriel (Veteran)

• Hometown: New York, NY
• Age: 28
• B1, motorcycle accident
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • USAT Paratriathlon National Championship 5th male VI
  • Pleasent Praire Tri 2nd place make VI
  • San Diego Rock n Roll marathon finisher

Field, Peter

• Hometown: Vancouver, BC
• Age: 58
• B1, Glaucoma
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Completed first marathon, October 13, 2019 victoria B.C. 4 hours, 37 min. 50 sec.
  • Two half marathones between 2018 - 2019
  • Part of 5 person, all visually impaired team in Canadian Death (trail) race Alberta Canada, August 2018

Hale, Aaron (Veteran)

• Hometown: Akron, OH
• Age: 41
• B1, IED blast Dec 8 (peace day!), 2011
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • 2014 and 2017 Boston Marathon
  • 2016 Akron First Energy Marathon 3:56
  • 2018 Southern Discomfort Ultra Albany, BA 12hr 50.2mi
• Media: Website

Han, David

• Hometown: Santa Clara, CA
• Age: 24
• 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

Hunter, Richard (Veteran)

• Hometown: Folsom, CA
• Age: 52
• 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

Knight, Warren

• Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
• Age: 52
• B3, Glaucoma
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Philly Achilles Athlete of the year 2018 to 2019

Kuhn, David

• Hometown: DeKalb, IL
• Age: 67
• 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

Lang, Daryl

• Hometown: Edmonton, AB
• Age: 35
• B1, ROP
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • Manitoba Marathon - Winnipeg, MB, Canada (Jun 16, 2019) FIRST MARATHON
  • Edmonton Half marathon - Edmonton, AB (Aug 18, 2019) Personal Best
  • Montana Half Marathon - Billings, MT (Sep 15, 2018) First Half Marathon

Lee, Shianti (Veteran)

• Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
• Age: 41
• B3, Explosion in iraq, head trauma
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • Yoga is my main physical activity
  • Hiking and running are importand to my goals in freedom in the outdoors
  • Learning to snowboard

Loomer, Jessica

• Hometown: Tucson, AZ
• Age: 33
• B2, Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • 2018 USABA National Champion
  • 2019 Hood to Coast relay team
  • 2018 Boston marathon finisher

Lynch, Alison

• Hometown: New York, NY
• Age: 32
• 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

McDermith, George

• Hometown: Colorado Springs, CO
• Age: 39
• B1, ROP
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • 2017 Ride the Rockies
  • 2017 Littlefoot Sprint Triathlon
  • 2019 Climbed Pike’s Peak
• Media: Facebook

McGonigle, Pam

• Hometown: Ardmore, PA
• Age: 51
• 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

Moran, Angie

• Hometown: Arlington, VA
• Age: 34
• B1, Rare syndrome: retina detachment and glaucoma caused total blindness
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Several judo competitions and 1 Jiu Jitsu competition Judo
  • 2 marathons

Mozeko, Mike

• Hometown: Bethlehem, PA
• Age: 51
• Usher Syndrome 2a

Nguyen, Newton

• Hometown: Berkeley, CA
• Age: 25
• 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: 47
• 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

Perry, Chris

• Hometown: Lompoc, CA
• Age 43
• B4, Retinitis Pigmentosa
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Marathon in under 4 hours
  • Multiple Tough Mudders and Spartans

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

Ramirez, Irwin

• Hometown: Alexandria, VA
• Age: 31
• B2, Retinitis Pigmentosa
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • 2019 Boston Marathon 4th place VI Division
  • 8 marathons completed

Reinhard, Hans

• Hometown: Kefferhausen, Thuringia
• Age: 57
• B1, Retinitis Pigmentosa

Robidoux, Kyle

• Hometown: Boston, MA
• Age: 43
• B2, Retinitis Pigmentosa
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Completed four 100-mile trail races
  • Trained close to 100 sighted guides as part of United in Stride
  • Sponsored by Athletic Brewing Company and Topo Athletic and CLIF Bar partner
• Media: Website

Romero, Jason

• Hometown: Denver, CO
• Age: 49
• 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

Retherford, Joseph

• Hometown: Suisun City, CA
• Age: 28
• 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

Sabra, Steve

• Hometown: Omaha, NE
• Age: 64
• B3, Retinitis Pigmentosa
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • Ran Boston Marathon 5 times
  • Completed 56 marathons, about a dozen half, and about 36 10Ks
  • Participated in RAGBRAI, a bike ride across Iowa, as a stoker on a tandem, annually for about 5 years.
• Media: Youtube Video

Sanchas, Rob (Veteran)

• Hometown: Warren, RI
• Age: 51
• 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

Sao, Hongda

• Hometown: Tacoma, WA
• Age: 48
• B2, Lahon Disease
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • MVP GoBall Athlete
  • Successfully ran first half marathon wtih Seattle Thanksgiving Marathon Race
  • Over the summer, my running team with Metro Parks Renegade; Team of visually impaired runners and disabled athletes, completed Rainier To Ruston Relay Race. This was a 50 mile relay race.
• Media: Facebook

Sediva, Regine

• Hometown: Brea, CA
• Age: 52
• 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

Seif, Jayne

• Hometown: Louisville, KY
• Age: 41
• B3, Micro ophthalmia & coloboma
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • Completed Louisville marathon twice
  • Completed Columbus Marathon twice

Spurrell, Craig (Canada)

• Hometown: Toronto Canada
• Age: 54
• B1, Adam9 Cone-rod Dystrophy
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Qualified for the Boston marathon
  • Sailed from Costa Rica to Tahiti
  • Cycled the Oregon coast

Steinbrecher, Katie

• Hometown: Iron Mountain, MI
• Age: 29
• B3, Ocular Albinism
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • Boston Marathon 5th in the VI women’s division
  • Wisconsin State Champion show water skier

Strong, Eric

• Hometown: Charlotte, NC
• Age: 36
• B2, Congenital Glaucoma
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • Boston Marathon
  • Completed first 100 mile at VT 100
  • Running sub 3:30 marathon
• Media: Achilles Charlotte

Walton, Branden

• Hometown: Windsor, CA
• Age: 21
• 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

Welch, Raquel (Veteran)

• Hometown: Pass Christian, MS
• Age: 50
• B1, Brain tumor
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • 5k run

Westbrook, Jody

• Hometown: Berkeley, CA
• Age: 37
• B3, Retinitis Pigmentosa
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Ran 3 marathons
  • Solo hiked (most) of the John Muir trail
  • Completed a 200K bike race

Westbrook, Reeves

• Hometown: Great Falls, VA
• Age: 70
• B3, Retinitis Pigmentosa
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Hawaii Ironman World Championship
  • 3rd place 60 to 65 Baltimore marathon
  • 1st place half marathon in parks 60 to 65

Sponsors

USABA would like to thank our 2019 major sponsors. Without their support, this event would not be possible.

Title Sponsor

Allworth Financial

Platinum: ($10,000 and above)

Healthy Vision Association

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

Delta Gamma Fraternity Department of Veterans Affairs Sacramento Running Association

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

Andrew O’Driscoll & Maureen Kelly Dan & Terri Streetman

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

Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired Michael & Shelly Schermer Society for the Blind Eric Waterman

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.