The USABA Marathon National Championships, sponsored by Allworth Financial, take part in conjunction with the California International Marathon on December 5, 2021. 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 2021 visually impaired and blind field of runners taking part in the 2021 California International Marathon.

Ahmed, Nafij

• Hometown: Queens, Arlington, VA
• Age: 27
• B3, Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP)
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Hiking 50 miles with ~20,000 feet of elevation in Utah over 6 days
  • Completing the NYC Marathon in 2019 and 2021(hopefully TBD)
  • Participating in 2019 CIM relay with USABA

Aukward, Joseph

• Hometown: Bethesda, MD
• Age: 61
• B1, Retinitis Pigmentosa
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • 2004 United States Athens Paralympian, Co Captain Ambulatory Track and Field team
  • Ran Varsity Cross Country and Wrestling for Loyola University of Baltimore, Maryland
  • Completed 6 Marathons, Personal Best Chicago Marathon 3:36

Ball, Lindsay

• Hometown: Norfolk, VA
• Age: 29
• B1, LCA
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • I am a three time national champion in alpine skiing and was on the 2014 Paralympic team for the Sochi games.
  • I have run 3 marathons and 9 half marathons.
• Media: News Story

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

Beecham, Jessica

• Hometown: Colorado Springs, CO
• Age: 35
• B2, Optic nerve hypoplasia
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Pikes Peak Ultra 50 Mile finisher
  • Pikes Peak Marathon Finisher
  • Biked the Natchez Trace Parkway

Bettencourt, Doris

• Hometown: San Jose, CA
• Age: 50
• B3, Retinitis Pigmentosa
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • 2009 completed my first full 26.2 miles, Women’s Nike Marathon in San Francisco
  • Completed a Spartan Trifecta in 2019
  • Continuing to run smaller races every year like The Wharf to Wharf in Santa Cruz CA, with my latest race being the Rock ‘n’ Roll 1/2 Marathon in October of 2021

Brown, Alexandra

• Hometown: Monroe, NC
• Age: 28
• B3, Prom1-related macular dystrophy
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • For my first-ever triathlon I qualified for nationals
  • For my first marathon in Houston, TX I finished in 4:16
  • Completed a half IronMan 70.3
• Media: Article

Burket, Joseph

• Hometown: Louisville, KY
• Age: 39
• B2, Lebers Hereditary Optic Neuropathy
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Second place happy 2021 Boston marathon VI division
  • Second place in the 2019 USABA national championships B2 division
  • Second place in the 35–39 age group at the 2021 Kentucky Derby festival mini marathon
• Media: Article

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.

Catterall, Charles

• Hometown: Gillette, WY
• Age: 53
• B2, Stargardt Disease
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Ran cross-country and track for the University of Wyoming
  • Ran and won the Rocky Mountain 50 miler in 1992 in 6 hours 15 minutes.
  • Ran 1:12.59 for half marathon two weeks after I won the 50 miler.

Clausell, Kenneth

• Hometown: San Jose, CA
• Age: 49
• 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: 75
• 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

Coon, Kyle

• Hometown: Colorado Springs, CO
• Age: 30
• B1, Bilateral Sporadic Retinoblastoma
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • 2020 Paralympian in Paratriathlon
  • Member of Team Sea to See—first team of all blind stokers to complete Race Across America
  • First B1 to complete an Ironman 140.6 in under 11 hours

Davis, Chaz

• Hometown: Boston, MA
• Age: 28
• 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.

Dillon, Shannon

• Hometown: Folsom, CA
• Age: 48
• B1, Retinoblastoma

Dunkerley, Jason (Canada)

• Hometown: Ottawa, Canada
• Age: 44
• 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

Field, Peter

• Hometown: Hope, BC
• Age: 60
• B1, Glaucoma
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • CIM will be my 4th marathon. I have run CIM once before and the BMO Vancouver Marathon twice before.
  • I have run several half marathons; in fact this past May in Vancouver I participated in the “Dynesty” event where in 3 weeks I ran a 5k, 8k, half and full marathon
• Media: News Story

Groeber, Deborah

• Hometown: Glenside, PA
• Age: 55
• B2, Stargardt’s Disease
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Was First PSIA Certified Ski Instructor (Adaptive-East) Who is Deaf-Blind.
  • Started running at the age of 49 1/2; ran my first 5k two weeks before I turned 50.
  • I have run 5 half- marathons and several 10-mile races, since turning 50.

Han, David

• Hometown: Santa Clara, CA
• Age: 26
• 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

Hornik, Timothy (Veteran)

• Hometown: Menlo Park, CA
• Age: 42
• B1, Traumatic injury
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • 2x Unbound Gravel 200 mile podium finisher
  • Sponsored/hosted 8 teams of disabled/blind cyclists attempt Unbound Gravel
  • Finished 2017 Boston Marathon

Hunter, Richard (Veteran)

• Hometown: Folsom, CA
• Age: 54
• 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

Jelinski, Candelaria

• Hometown: San Jose, CA
• Age: 56
• B3, Retinitis Pigmentosa and Glaucoma
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Became a sea kayak Guide and a white water rafting assistant guide for environmental traveling companions
  • Completed a 10K in one hour and 11 minutes
  • Did a spartan race

Knight, Warren

• Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
• Age: 54
• B3, Glaucoma
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Philly Achilles Athlete of the year 2018 to 2019
  • This year I will be participating in the New York Marathon, Philadelphia Marathon and California International Marathon

Kuhn, David

• Hometown: DeKalb, IL
• Age: 69
• B1, Posterior Staphaloma. Stretching of the retinas from an accident with a drunk driver.
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Over 50 marathons in 20 states, including 8 CIMs and 3 Bostons
  • Have completed 6 full Ironmans and 7 70.3s
  • 2021 took 2nd place at Pleasant Prairie sprint and 3rd at the Chicago Triathlon sprint in my division
• Media: Article

Lancaster, Christopher

• Hometown: Dawsonville, GA
• Age: 45
• B3, Retinitis Pigmentosa
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • Competed in 6 Boston Marathons
  • Completed two full Ironman triathlons
  • 2 time state soccer champion way back in the day.

Laramie, William

• Hometown: Hammond, IN
• Age: 50
• B2, Usher Sydrome
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • Qualifying for Boston Marathon
  • Completing Chicago Triathlon

Lucero, Christopher

• Hometown: Sacramento, CA
• Age: 27
• B1, Head trauma
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • Took third place on high school wrestling district

Lynch, Alison

• Hometown: New York, NY
• Age: 34
• 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

Magisano, Francesco

• Hometown: New York, NY

Manser, Erich

• Hometown: Littleton, MA
• Age: 48
• B2, Retinitis Pigmentosa
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • 2017 Ironman Maryland finish in 10:42:59
  • 2016 US Paratri Nationals Silver Medalist
  • Pan American 1500M Freestyle S13 record holder

McDaniel, Ed

• Hometown: Morganton, NC
• Age: 58
• B2, Retinitis Pigmentosa
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Longevity - I have been a runner for more than 40 years.
  • Consistency - I run an average of 1,000 a year.
  • I completed a trail marathon with a 3,000 foot ascent this year.

Meyerpeter, Paige

• Hometown: Orangevale, CA
• Age: 35
• B2, LHON
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • I completed the California international marathon.
  • I competed in a downhill skiing race.
  • I have volunteered to train ski guides.

Mozeko, Mike

• Hometown: Bethlehem, PA
• Age: 53
• B2, Usher Syndrome 2A
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Ran the San Francisco Marathon. It was great to have my children cheer me on as I crossed the finish line of my first marathon.
  • Ran the New York City marathon. Amazing experience. It was a great view of the city that I will never forget. How often do you get to run down the middle of the streets in NYC? ;)
  • Head coach of my daughter’s 9 year old soccer team. We had a great time throughout the year!

Nguyen, Newton

• Hometown: Berkeley, CA
• Age: 27
• 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: 49
• B1, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • 2019 CIM
  • 2021 Urban Cow Half Marathon
  • 2019 Cycling for Sight (Blind Stokers Club San Diego)

Paul, Tim

• Hometown: Chicago, IL
• Age 63
• B1, Glaucoma
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • I have done 18 marathons including 4 Boston Marathons, Chicago, New York and 2 in Europe. This will be my second CIM. I have run many other races including 5Ks, 10Ks and half marathons.
  • I have done 7 triathlons, 6 sprint and one international. In 2019 and 2021, I placed second in the blind/VI male division at the Chicago Triathlon.
  • I have been a downhill blind skier for over 30 years. I have gone on many trips out west to Colorado, Montana and California.

Quintero, Melissa

• Hometown: Poplar, CA
• Age 26
• B3, Achromatopsia
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • My mile PR is 5:25
  • My 5k PR is 18:42
  • My 10k PR is 37:10, but this was several years ago. I’ve since been running recreationally. My hope is to get back into competitive running now that life has slowed down a bit.

Ramirez, Irwin

• Hometown: Alexandria, VA
• Age: 33
• B2, Retinitis Pigmentosa
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • 2019 Boston Marathon 4th place VI Division
  • 8 marathons completed

Retherford, Joseph

• Hometown: Suisun City, CA
• Age: 30
• B2, Shot in the face in a hunting accident
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • I have done nine half marathons.
  • I have done two marathons.
  • In 2020 I ran 50 miles in 12 hours to race money for Warmline Family Resource Center.
• Media: Article

Rodjom, Matthew

• Hometown: Fairfax, VA
• Age: 41
• B2, Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • Represented Team USA 2018 London Marathon
  • 2nd Place at 5k 2016 RIO Paralympic Trials
  • 2nd place VI 2010 Boston Marathon
• Media: Article

Romero, Jason

• Hometown: Denver, CO
• Age: 51
• B3, Retinitis Pigmentosa
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Ran across the United States (51.5 mile/day avg)
  • 20+ 100 mile run finishes
  • 4th place at World Paralympic Marathon Championships 2015
• Media: www.jasonromero.net

Sanchas, Rob (Veteran)

• Hometown: Warren, RI
• Age: 53
• 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 miles Achilles Resiliency Relay that started in Charlotte NC and Ended in Central Park.
  • Ran five marathons in one year.
• Media: Article

Savageau, Jason

• Hometown: Boston, MA
• Age: 38
• B3, Hereditary
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • 2nd Place VI Houston Marathon
  • First place CranberryFest Tri (AWD)
  • 1st Place Cambridge Half (VI)
• Media: Instagram

Simanski, Benjamin

Strong, Eric

• Hometown: Charlotte, NC
• Age: 38
• B1, Congenital Glaucoma
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • Completing the Vermont 100
  • Running a sub 3:30 marathon
  • Starting the baton for the Achilles Resilience Relay
• Media: Achilles Charlotte

Thorsen, Andrew

• Hometown: Bremerton, WA
• Age: 30
• B3, Congenital Glaucoma
• Proudest Athletic Accomplishments:
  • Seattle Marathon finisher
  • Ran XC at D3 Carnegie Mellon University for one year
  • Learning to ski

Young, Calahan

• Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
• Age: 26
• B2, Retinitis Pigmentosa
• Proudest athletic accomplishments:
  • Competed at Tokyo Paralympics 2021 in goalball
  • 2014 USABA Goalball National Champion
  • Winning my first international tournament in Lithuania this year
• Media: Team USA News

Sponsors

USABA would like to thank our 2021 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

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

Dan & Terri Streetman
Kiersten & Cameron Mosbacher

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

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