In April 2017, Helen Susannah Webb became the first visually impaired female athlete to complete Ironman South Africa. Born with a genetic condition that results in sun sensitivity and visual impairment, Webb knew that if she ever had the lucky opportunity to race in the United States, she wanted experienced American, Caroline Gaynor, to be her guide. They got their chance this past October when Webb was selected as one of only five physically impaired athletes to compete at the Ironman World Championships in KONA! Caroline and Helen didn't meet until race week, but their "Ironman Blind Date" (pun totally intended) was a huge success!  No Ironman race is without drama and Caroline and Helen certainly had their fair share of those moments. They talk about the highs and lows of their race and, ultimately, what they both learned from an event of this magnitude!

 

 

Caroline's Blog and Kona Race Report 

Resources for Visually Impaired Athletes and Guides

Ironman World Championship Website

 

Theme Music: ”Aitech" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/