The 52-year-old Johanny Gelens is visually impaired, but will participate in the Breda Singelloop next Sunday. The runner from Zevenbergen, who only sees shadows, is specially attached to her buddy Leon Mahieu with an elastic band. He makes sure that Johanny doesn’t fall or run into anything. Together they run no less than forty kilometers on Sunday.
Running is Johanny’s passion and life. On the track, she and her buddy are even Dutch champions at various distances. The runner does not let her hobby ruin in any way by her very limited vision.
“Due to my visual handicap, it is impossible for me to run independently,” says Johanny Gelens, who will be completely blind at some point..
“I want to be an example to others.”
“I have retinitis pigmentosa and that means my retina is slowly dying. I see only shadows and light and dark, but I don’t let anything stop me if I want to achieve something. I need a buddy for it, but running with a visual impairment is possible. Running is important to me, but I also want to set an example for others.”
Johanny has several buddies, but is running the Singelloop with Leon Mahieu (63) on Sunday. “We are connected to each other with an elastic band on everyone’s hand,” explains Johanny. “Leon can navigate me along everything neatly. His eyes are actually my eyes too.”
“By the way, he doesn’t warn at every hill, twig or leaf, but only at sharp bends or thresholds. I want it that way because otherwise I don’t enjoy running. People often ask if that isn’t scary. That is not the case, because I trust my buddy. In daily life I walk with a guide dog and it does a good job.”
“If the elastic is tight, Johanny knows to come to me.”
“I also occasionally bark,” jokes running buddy Leon, who explains his task even further. “If the elastic is tight, Johanny knows that she has to come to me. And if she has to go in another direction, I tap her with my elbow. Furthermore, it is mainly to ensure that she does not trip and I warn of other dangerous Affairs.”
“I don’t want anything to happen to her and that’s why I always have to pay attention,” he concludes. “But I really have to work myself. I hold back on the long runs, but I can’t keep up with her on the track.”
On Sunday, the duo will run the so-called ’40 of Breda’ during the Singelloop, in which all distances are done one after the other. That is not easy and also in terms of tactics Johanny and Leon have to operate as a team. “My pitfall is that I always want to go too fast,” says the runner. “Fortunately, Leon keeps a close eye on that and we run all distances at marathon pace. If I don’t do that, you can sweep me together before the finish.”