Running a marathon is hard enough. Clarke Reynolds did it while getting directions through smart glasses from volunteers logging in from around the globe.
Reynolds has become the first person to run a full marathon with the help of volunteers guiding him through smart glasses, according to the source material. The 45-year-old artist completed the Brighton Marathon using an app that let people see his perspective and guide him on the run.
He wore Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer smart glasses connected to Be My Eyes, an app that also uses artificial intelligence. Along with occasional support from a volunteer running beside him, Reynolds became the first blind person to complete the race using the glasses and app together.
The Braille artist, who works under the professional name Dot, finished the 42.2-kilometre course in just under six hours and 20 minutes. He also raised more than $3,250 for the charity Fight for Sight.
“I’m absolutely over the moon, we did it,” Reynolds said after completing the race on Sunday, April 12.
“I am now the first blind person to run a full marathon while being supported by volunteers using smart glasses and Be My Eyes.
“My aim in doing this was to really push the boundaries of what this technology can do for me as a blind person, and I’ve done that. I love the idea that up to 300 people from all over the world, from Croydon to Kansas and Belfast to Bahrain, helped me to achieve it. The potential of this technology for people with sight loss is incredible.”
“It’s opening up a whole world of opportunity, and more and more people are using it in their everyday lives. There’s so much to be hopeful about.”
Reynolds is an experienced runner and has previously completed the London Marathon with a guide. This time, he was guided by a succession of preselected volunteers based around the world.
Using the Be My Eyes app on a smart device or laptop, those volunteers could see what was in front of him through the glasses. They were able to join his run remotely in real time, supporting and encouraging him along the route through Brighton.
As a backup safety precaution, trained guide runner Alaistair Ratcliffe also ran alongside Reynolds to help if any difficulties came up. Reynolds, who is from Portsmouth in Hampshire, used the technology for almost all of the course, but broadband connectivity dropped out a few times because of the volume of people at the event.
When that happened, Ratcliffe stepped in and guided him until the connection returned. Ratcliffe was provided by The Richard Whitehead Foundation through its Supported Runner Project.
Reynolds, an artist and children’s author, has only 5 percent of his vision after inheriting retinitis pigmentosa. He described his vision as “like looking underwater.”
He took on the marathon to raise money for Fight for Sight, where he is an ambassador. Among the people sponsoring him was TV presenter Victoria Coren-Mitchell.
Be My Eyes usually connects blind and low-vision users with volunteers from anywhere in the world. A newer in-app feature called Be My Eyes Groups lets users create private, dedicated volunteer circles, and it has recently been made available on Meta AI glasses.
Before the marathon, Reynolds’ volunteers were carefully selected and briefed so he could always reach familiar, prepared supporters when he needed help.
Reynolds said: “I was free to safely put the tech to test in this very unusual way. I had a backup guide runner running alongside me all the way, in case of any problems, so I’d like to say a massive thank you to the brilliant Alaistair, who did that for me. As well as all the amazing volunteers who supported me and cheered me on through the Be My Eyes app on the day and throughout my training.”
“They’ve really kept me going on this incredible journey. It’s been one of the best experiences of my life! By running a marathon and using the tech in a way that hasn’t been done before, I’ve raised awareness and sparked so many conversations, which I hope will help to challenge society’s ideas about what blind people can do.”
In the weeks before the race, Reynolds trained every day around his home in Havant while guided by Be My Eyes volunteers. Across his training and on marathon day, about 150 individual volunteers supported him through the app.
Describing that training, Reynolds said: “I have 10 seconds to say, ‘Hi, I’m Clarke, I’m training to run a marathon.’
“[The volunteers] are expecting me to ask, ‘Where is the soup?’ or ‘Help me to a shop,’ so they’re pretty blown away when I say I’m training for a marathon.
“Some volunteers have even offered to sponsor me. I love making the connection with people, telling them about why I’m running, and about Fight for Sight’s work.
“They are always really interested and love being part of something so out of the ordinary. We chat as I run.”
Julie Sutton, a Be My Eyes volunteer, presented Reynolds with his medal at the finish line. He then handed the medal to Ratcliffe.
Fight for Sight said Reynolds raised more than $3,250 for the charity, which funds research into eye conditions and nationwide support projects.
Eleanor Southwood, the charity’s director of impact and external affairs, said: “We are so proud of Clarke. What he has achieved is extraordinary.
“We are so grateful to him for his support and to everyone who has so generously sponsored him, raising over $3,250 for Fight for Sight.”
