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- Thomas Panek, President and CEO of Guider Eye for the Blind, became the first visually impaired runner to complete a fully dog-guided half marathon.
- Three labs, Westley, Waffle and his own guide dog, Gus, formed the relay team that guided him throughout the New York Half Marathon.
Three dogs and a visually impaired runner marked history this weekend at the New York Half Marathon: Thomas Panek, President and CEO of Guiding Eyes for the Blind, led a trio of guide dogs in the streets of New York and the finish line of the race.
Panek led the NYC Half as the first rider ever fully guided by well-trained guide dogs. The three-dog relay team was formed by the Guider les yeux program for the visually impaired, a non-profit organization that teaches dogs to avoid obstacles and walk a comfortable pace. thus offering their athletes the freedom to run safely. Each dog ran about 120 miles over three months in preparation.
"The most important reason [I did this run] is to encourage people to run, regardless of their disability or fitness level, health and well-being are important, "said Panek Runner's World. "Running is a very productive and constructive way for all of us to stay healthy and active."
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Panek worked with three labs: Westley, Waffle and his own guide dog, Gus. Westley started the race and led a distance of 5 miles, before Waffle took the center leg. The pair stopped at mile 7 for the water, and then again at mile 10, where Panek took Gus for the last 5 km.
The rest was a race in the park. Gus knew about the Central Park loop and knew how to navigate at the end of the race.
"I could feel [Gus] going left and right, you could feel it weaving around people at the end of the race, "said Panek. "I did not know if I had crossed the finish line, so I kept going through the fall."
Panek finished with an official time of 2:20:51. The average mile from Westley was 8:30, Waffle's 8:00 and Gus's 9:00. (The splits did not include stops along the way, such as the time he spent during each transition period chatting with the crowd and preparing the dogs to leave).
Although Panek, who lost his sight in early twenties because of retinitis pigmentosa – a genetic disease causing the breakdown of retinal cells – ran several major marathons, including Boston, New York and Chicago, with human guides, it is the first time it has been guided only by dogs.
In fact, it was the first time all Guide dog who was formally trained to run in a guide program was a registered participant in a race, according to Guiding Eyes. Panek, who felt comfortable being driven by the dogs during the race, hopes to pave the way for other athletes.
"I think the purpose of doing this is to say that there is no excuse," said Panek. "Your excuse will not be good anymore, if I can walk 13.1 miles through the streets of New York to the blind, your excuse will not be good enough."
The New York semifinal also marks the last race of Gus, 7, who will retire as a Panek guide dog. During their training, Panek established ties with 2-year-old Wesley to the point where he will badume his role as Gus's replacement. As for Waffle, who is also 2 years old, Panek wants to make sure she goes to a person who likes to run and who will not hold her.
"The best thing to do, is to have a dog, go out and run for him," said Panek. "Go to the vet to have it checked, make sure they're ready to run, and then do not leave the dog at home."
Digital Editor
She grew up in Black Hills, South Dakota, and loves running. She was born from the competition in running in local elementary schools.
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