The Original Blind 777

The Officer

Good luck to her I say, whether she's partially sighted or fully sighted it's a trip of a lifetime for this lady.

I see she set the World Record anyway. Well done to her.

RacoonQueen

Seems there is some argy bargy going on. Not following this, but looks like she is trying to discredit his original attempt? Anyone following all of this?

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/blind-runner-dismisses-earlier-record-claim-x6kbbkbx2?shareToken=25f11911b6f0df14efc8f3d961ab6750

kit3

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Seems there is some argy bargy going on. Not following this, but looks like she is trying to discredit his original attempt? Anyone following all of this?

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/blind-runner-dismisses-earlier-record-claim-x6kbbkbx2?shareToken=25f11911b6f0df14efc8f3d961ab6750

First I've seen of this. Am I right in thinking that Fiennes & Stroud are acknowledged to be the first to complete the 777 (before it became a business with chartered flights & everything arranged) even though they had to use the Falklands due to weather conditions ? Blind Dave Heely's achievement was also acknowledged at the time & since. Why is this being called into question all these years later ?

Fair play to Dave Heely - very dignified response.

The Officer

I've been following some of this, I'm scratching my head, who is advising her to engage in a social media campaign that is at very best a debate.

I couldn't care less about Guinness world records, they don't hold any gravitas anymore, people hold Guinness world records for running a marathon dressed as a fridge!

If the intention was to promote that these challenges are achievable with poor eyesight and encourage others like her then surely it's unwise to demean the achievement of a blind runner.

Whether that or purely a self-promotional endeavour I refer back to my first paragraph.

PaulieC

All getting a bit undignified. Great achievement doing what she did, but this is a bit pathetic. All comes across as very self serving. I can't imagine the people who stumped up the cash for this jolly being happy with it either.

JsepP

No matter what way you look at it it's a massive achievement to run 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 continents by a partially sighted runner. Absolute kudos to the lady involved.

Dave Heely was / is widely accepted as the first blind runner to run 7 marathons in 7 days and up until very recently on 7 continents. Dave as well as being totally blind didn't have the luxury of a private jet to transport him. I believe the Falklands were a last minute change due to weather conditions and were widely accepted as being part of Antarctica. I find it quite unsavoury how there have been attempts to discredit his original achievement and have the utmost respect for the dignified restraint he has shown in his responses. Personally if I were him I'd have been pointing out the irony of his achievement being questioned on geographical grounds in favour of someone else who keeps on being reported as the first blind person to do it when they appear to have some vision.

Both of them achieved something absolutely extraordinary. One of them is fast eroding the respect that achievement deserves though and that's a real shame. Let them both claim their own achievement.

ultrapercy

JsepP wrote: »

No matter what way you look at it it's a massive achievement to run 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 continents by a partially sighted runner. Absolute kudos to the lady involved.

Dave Heely was / is widely accepted as the first blind runner to run 7 marathons in 7 days and up until very recently on 7 continents. Dave as well as being totally blind didn't have the luxury of a private jet to transport him. I believe the Falklands were a last minute change due to weather conditions and were widely accepted as being part of Antarctica. I find it quite unsavoury how there have been attempts to discredit his original achievement and have the utmost respect for the dignified restraint he has shown in his responses. Personally if I were him I'd have been pointing out the irony of his achievement being questioned on geographical grounds in favour of someone else who keeps on being reported as the first blind person to do it when they appear to have some vision.

Both of them achieved something absolutely extraordinary. One of them is fast ertougheroding the respect that achievement deserves though and that's a real shame. Let them both claim their own achievement.

I'm not being contrary and I have no alligence to anyone involved but as a point of fact Dave Heely did not complete the challange as stated. What he did may have been tougher but he didn't run in Antarctica. If I take a notion to run 32 marathons in 32 counties I can't run them all in Mayo and claim that castlebar is now actually in Galway or any of the other 30 counties. She may be undignified and self serving in the view of some but factually she is correct. The Falklands are in south America so Heely only ran on 6 continents. It may have been more difficult from a logistics point of view but it was not the advertised challange.

Lougheee

I see Gary Thornton won the 2018 World Marathon Challenge.

https://www.rte.ie/news/2018/0206/938849-world-marathons-galway/

Hurrache

His times were pretty decent too given the task.