The Original Blind 777

OWinter

Looks like a chap called Blind Dave Heely completed the 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days despite being blind in 2008.

Ed Mc Groarty

He was destined to go blind with a name like that

kit3

Fair play to him - the logistics alone are mind boggling !

Working class heroes

OWinter wrote: »

Looks like a chap called Blind Dave Heely completed the 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days despite being blind in 2008.

Was he blind just for that year?

jamule

Working class heroes wrote: »

Was he blind just for that year?

I'd imagine he was blind since birth, if he wasn't he'd be just called Dave.

cjt156

Remarkably, despite his sight loss, he went on to invent a product to baffle the middle aged in supermarkets for generations.

OWinter

Sorry I can't link to the article and apologies to the chap for using his nickname but his blog is called that.

Just thought it was interesting as I see an Irish runner has been in the media lately talking about a world record attempt as first blind runner to do 777

Sir Ranulf Fiennes believes he is legit anyway.

RayCun

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1584959/Blind-Daves-7-day-marathon-ends-in-London.html

The Antarctic leg was in the Falklands, which I would have considered part of South America...

Working class heroes

RayCun wrote: »

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1584959/Blind-Daves-7-day-marathon-ends-in-London.html

The Antarctic leg was in the Falklands, which I would have considered part of South America...

Or Europe.....

kit3

RayCun wrote: »

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1584959/Blind-Daves-7-day-marathon-ends-in-London.html

The Antarctic leg was in the Falklands, which I would have considered part of South America...

Ran Fiennes & Mike Stroud are credited with doing the 777 also in 2003 & they did one in the Falklands. Blind Dave Heely did his in 2008. If there was any issue as to location this would surely have been raised / disputed before now

Working class heroes

Another attempt under way.

https://www.rte.ie/lifestyle/living/2017/0117/845569-blind-runner-tells-tubridy-about-her-7-marathons-in-7-days/

Neady83

Working class heroes wrote: »

Another attempt under way.

https://www.rte.ie/lifestyle/living/2017/0117/845569-blind-runner-tells-tubridy-about-her-7-marathons-in-7-days/

I heard the interview that she did with Tubridy, she's a remarkable individual.

Neady83

Sinéad Kane will be guided by John O'Regan.

She will start her quest to complete the World Marathon Challenge of 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days next Monday(Jan 23).
Here's the schedule:
Day 1(Jan 23) Union Glacier,Antarctica,
Day 2(Jan 24) Punta Arenas,Chile.
Day 3(Jan 25) Miami,USA.
Day 4(Jan 26) Madrid,Spain.
Day 5(Jan 27) Marrakech,Morocco.
Day 6(Jan 28) Dubai.
Day 7(Jan 29) Sydney,Australia.

Follow their progress on the World Marathon Challenge Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/theworldmarathonchallenge/?fref=ts

kit3

This challenge seems to have turned into a business - a number of people doing it, chartered flights etc. Doesn't take from the magnitude of the challenge of course but it must have been so much more difficult for the original people who used commercial flights & had to organise everything themselves.

RacoonQueen

RayCun wrote: »

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1584959/Blind-Daves-7-day-marathon-ends-in-London.html

The Antarctic leg was in the Falklands, which I would have considered part of South America...

In the original Fiennes/Stroud attempt, they were meant to go to King George Island but weather and flight issues I think scuppered that so Falklands was used as a substitute. Doesn't seem to have been any questioning of the 'record' or achievement.
I remember reading about this years ago in Mike Stroud's ''Survival of the Fittest'' book and being fascinated and thinking I'd love to do it.
Not a freakin chance now. How young and foolish I was.

Everything, even articles from 2016 calls it the ''777'' and doesn't question that there was no marathon on Antarctica or the presence of the Falklands as a continent/being part of Antarctica.

kit3

RacoonQueen wrote: »

In the original Fiennes/Stroud attempt, they were meant to go to King George Island but weather and flight issues I think scuppered that so Falklands was used as a substitute. Doesn't seem to have been any questioning of the 'record' or achievement.
I remember reading about this years ago in Mike Stroud's ''Survival of the Fittest'' book and being fascinated and thinking I'd love to do it.
Not a freakin chance now. How young and foolish I was.

Everything, even articles from 2016 calls it the ''777'' and doesn't question that there was no marathon on Antarctica or the presence of the Falklands as a continent/being part of Antarctica.

I read about it there too - loved that book

Working class heroes

RacoonQueen wrote: »

In the original Fiennes/Stroud attempt, they were meant to go to King George Island but weather and flight issues I think scuppered that so Falklands was used as a substitute. Doesn't seem to have been any questioning of the 'record' or achievement.
I remember reading about this years ago in Mike Stroud's ''Survival of the Fittest'' book and being fascinated and thinking I'd love to do it.
Not a freakin chance now. How young and foolish I was.

Everything, even articles from 2016 calls it the ''777'' and doesn't question that there was no marathon on Antarctica or the presence of the Falklands as a continent/being part of Antarctica.

http://www.worldmarathonchallenge.com/html/7-continents/
Clarifies here re Falklands/King George/Continent

JsepP

How blind do you need to be to qualify as blind in these things. My grandma is legally blind but explains it as being a bit blurry. Certainly sees enough to clatter me anyway.

OWinter

WCH that is just the definition of the organiser. As this is essentially a made up challange you could lay down any parameters and have them be true.

I am hoping to set a world record in this next year as the first Irishman to complete the whole thing in tights, not shorts

RacoonQueen

Working class heroes wrote: »

http://www.worldmarathonchallenge.com/html/7-continents/
Clarifies here re Falklands/King George/Continent

That seems to have been decided by the person who runs this particular challenge. The Fiennes/Stroud and Heeley attempts all came before the 'World Marathon Challenge', which according to Wikipedia began in 2015.

I'm not entirely sure the link to that website can be left here btw, given the organisers previous 'history' with boards...

JsepP

So this one is just a pile of bollixology made up to suit the participants so they can say they are the first to do it ?

walshb

Neady83 wrote: »

I heard the interview that she did with Tubridy, she's a remarkable individual.

That was a good interview.

jamule

JsepP wrote: »

So this one is just a pile of bollixology made up to suit the participants so they can say they are the first to do it ?

you can't say thay without weighing it all up

Is it for charidee -Check
A great lad/girl- Check


Its a RECORD!


I am officially the first person to run 200m around the office I work in while posting here, unfortunately I'm a bollox and don't do charidee, so no official world record for me!

PaulieC

JsepP wrote: »

So this one is just a pile of bollixology made up to suit the participants so they can say they are the first to do it ?

sounds like it.

Neady83

Record or no record, we have an Irish person attempting to do the 777 and what's more is she is visually impaired and a great role model to kids and adults with and without disabilities. It will be a fantastic achievement if when she pulls it off.

Working class heroes

RacoonQueen wrote: »

That seems to have been decided by the person who runs this particular challenge. The Fiennes/Stroud and Heeley attempts all came before the 'World Marathon Challenge', which according to Wikipedia began in 2015.

I'm not entirely sure the link to that website can be left here btw, given the organisers previous 'history' with boards...

Sorry not familiar with the history, feel free to delete.

TFBubendorfer

JsepP wrote: »

How blind do you need to be to qualify as blind in these things. My grandma is legally blind but explains it as being a bit blurry. Certainly sees enough to clatter me anyway.

Anything up to 10% vision is defined as legally blind. The person in question in this thread has 5% visibility and falls comfortably into that category.

Working class heroes

OWinter wrote: »

WCH that is just the definition of the organiser. As this is essentially a made up challange you could lay down any parameters and have them be true.

I am hoping to set a world record in this next year as the first Irishman to complete the whole thing in tights, not shorts

Good luck.

JsepP

What's the situation with the current attempt. Is that a like for like 5% vision?

Might not matter that much in fairness. That's seriously impressive no matter what way you look at it to be honest.

walshb

JsepP wrote: »

That's seriously impressive no matter what way you look at it

Nice pun!

JsepP

walshb wrote: »

Nice pun!

Wasn't a deliberate one!