Achilles Hosts Panel on How to Be a Guide Runner with New York Road Runners and TD Bank
Did you know your run could be the start line for transforming someone else’s life? Volunteer runners known as “guides” of all paces serve as the eyes, ears, safety assistants, and more for athletes with disabilities who want to experience the sport.
In celebration of the 2023 Achilles Hope & Possibility 4M presented by TD Bank, Achilles hosted a panel discussion with New York Road Runners on June 22 at the NYRR RUNCENTER in New York City on being a guide runner for athletes with disabilities. Watch the full panel below.
Athletes and guides discussed their adventures training and racing together and the top tips for getting involved to a crowd of nearly 200 attendees, including race participants. The panel, moderated by Saman Waquad, NYRR Moderator and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Specialist featured:
Francesco Magisano, Director of NYC Metro at Achilles International
Sarah Heller, Achilles NYC Athlete
Wes DeMauro, Achilles Volunteer Guide
Tyrrell Schmidt, Chief Marketing Officer, TD Bank and Achilles International Board Member
They covered everything from overcoming that initial nervousness and sense of responsibility to the laughs of realizing that yelling, “Watch out!” might not be as informative.
"You have a heightened sense of responsibility to help someone else achieve their goals when guiding, so it's all about the rapport between a guide and athlete. You stop thinking about yourself because you're so focused on someone else, and I've actually found that it even helps you through your own races,” said Wes.
“How you support one athlete can be very different from how you support another. What I have found through the years having run with so many people is the best thing to do is ask and just be curious about what works for them. I have run with a lot of visually impaired runners and I found that it can differ. People’s preference differs even the direction you give,” said Tyrrell.
Some athletes may want minimal verbal direction while others may want more visual descriptions. For Sarah Heller, the most important thing she looks for in a guide? Singing.
“Guides are the nicest people ever. I’m just the luckiest person. I get to meet people to run with all the time,” she said.
“It’s a joint support. When you’re running a marathon, anybody might need support during that. I think the athletes through their energy and passion just provide immense support to their guides as well,” said Tyrrell, who has been passionate about running for over 40 years.
“What other situations in life are you literally tied to somebody for miles? They [guides] see you at your best at mile one of a marathon, they see you at your worst when I’m completely done at mile 24. It’s such a transparent lens to see another person. And that’s why it’s so cool to run with different people. You get to interact with such a wide, diverse group of different folks,” said Francesco. “We come for the sport, but we stay for the community.”
View a recording on the panel here and learn more about how you can get involved with Achilles as a volunteer guide.
