Blind Troon mum has miles of courage

May 14 2008 By Lisa Boyle, Ayrshire Post

A BLIND mum defied the odds to complete Ayrshire’s biggest road race.

And Hazel McFarlane insists that it’s just the first step on the road to achieve her ultimate ambition – to run a marathon.

The 42-year-old, who lost her sight entirely last September, only started training for the Troon 10k race seven weeks ago.

And she’s aiming to improve on her time of one hour and seven minutes when she takes part in the ladies’ 10k in Glasgow this weekend.

But modest Hazel, who ran the race tied to a guide with a piece of rope, says it was a team effort that helped her achieve her goal.

She explained: “I joined Troon Tortoises running club a couple of months ago and they have been so supportive. Usually blind runners have difficulty in finding guide runners but I have had so many people telling me they’d be happy to help.

“It’s not an easy task. We are connected by a piece of rope held between our fingers.

“A guide runner has to be really fit. As well as concentrating on running themselves, they have to talk to me the whole way through, they have to explain any obstacles that are coming up and tell me when there are turns coming up, it’s very difficult for them.

“My guide runner, Anne, is great. We used to be linked by arms so it was very strange getting used to the sensation of running with no physical contact.”

And even Hazel’s nine-year-old son Ciaran and his pals helped her finish the race.

She added: “Ciaran took part in the kids’ race before the big one. I felt like someone was stretching out the last 200 metres but then I heard Ciaran and his friends shouting me and encouraging me so that really helped me get over the finish line.”

Hazel, whose mum is Troon councillor Nan McFarlane, refuses to let her disability get the better of her.

She remains determined to live a full life in spite of being blind.

She continued: “In many ways it has been a positive thing for me, I always enjoyed running and this made me get back into it.

“Things happen, lives change. But life goes on and you have to go out there and do what you want to do.

“It’s better to go out and push yourself. What other choice do you have?”

Almost 1000 people took part in the Troon 10k last Wednesday night, the biggest midweek race in Scotland.

For more information on Troon Tortoises running club log onto www.troontortoises.net.