María Jesús, Ray and José look at the weapons. All three have visual disabilities and this Saturday they will put on their shoes to participate in the demanding La Nocturna de Toledo race, where there are more than 4,800 registered. “We, the blind, do it too,” explains José Martínez, director of the ONCE of Castilla-La Mancha, who adds several dozen kilometers per week.
It will be his first time, “because I haven’t had the opportunity to do it before”, and he will do it with a guide, José Luis Villamor, president of the Rotary Club Toledo, who will even accompany him to collect his number.
José will participate at the age of 47, on October 6, “and there is no better gift“says an athlete who knows part of the difficult course, because he already ran the last edition of Corpus Christi and “the experience was great.”
With 10 percent visual impairment, he suffers from photophobia and must wear dark glasses during the day. “Between seeing nothing and seeing something, it’s something incredible, wonderful”outsource. “And being able to participate in tests like La Nocturna gives you a lot of freedom,” he says.
Raimundo Campos, Ray to his friends, has an 84 percent visual impairment. At 35 years old, is part of “Increased Mobility”, a project in which a group of volunteers ensure that people with disabilities participate in sports. And at La Nocturna you will be attached to a guide with a rope. “During the day I wouldn’t need any accompaniment, but at night I would; and also because of the instability of the terrain,” explains Ray, who does not run regularly, but plays futsal with a visual impairment.
At 22 years old, María Jesús Pérez is blind in her right eye and has very little visual remaining in her left eye. She signed up for the short course, 5 kilometers, and will discover the characteristics of the course for herself. “No one told me it was hard”smiles this professional training degree student in Dietetics.
She will hold on to a bar, supported by two guides, one in front and one behind her, members of “Augmented Mobility”. This will be his second test after starting in the solidarity race against ALS which took place in Toledo on October 6. “I decided to run at night because it seems strange to me”says the debutante of La Nocturna, a test that the blind also master.
