Guide runners help the visually impaired enjoy the great outdoors

In the evening at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, one can see dancing students, older people doing exercises, people walking dogs, and pairs of runners jogging side by side. Guide runners and visually impaired runners use a rope tether to stay connected with each other. Guide runners act as visually impaired runners’ eyes, helping them navigate around obstacles and build a picture of their environment. To guarantee safety, guide runners only lead one visually impaired runner at a time. To ensure that each visually impaired runner has someone to lead them, the number of guide runners in a group normally exceeds that of visually impaired runners.

Zhonghua Visually Impaired Road Running Association (中華視障路跑協會) hopes that more people will join the ranks of guide runners and help more visually impaired people take the big step of getting out of the house. Guide runners for domestic running are not required to be experienced or good at running. As long as you are willing to accompany visually impaired runners and be their eyes, you are welcome to join. Your contribution will help visually impaired people to better appreciate their surroundings and experience the color and variety of life.

以下為中文對照

牽起陪跑繩 帶領視障者走向戶外

夜晚的國父紀念館有練舞的學生、做操的老人、遛狗的民眾，還有兩人一組，並肩而行的跑者。陪跑員和視障跑者用一條繩子聯繫彼此，陪跑員成為跑者的眼睛，提醒他們路上的障礙，告訴他們周遭的風景，跑者則用心去體會。為了確保安全，一位陪跑員一次就只能帶一位視障跑者跑步，因此一個跑團的陪跑員人數通常要多於視障者，才能保證每位跑者都有人帶領。

中華視障路跑協會希望有越來越多的人加入陪跑員的行列，幫助更多的視障者跨出家門這一大步。擔任居家練跑的陪跑者不一定要有經驗，也不一定要很會跑步，只要願意陪伴視障者，當他們的眼睛，帶領他們去領略這段路程的風景，感受生活的更多色彩與變化。