Do you know De Blindgangers on Instagram? Three enthusiastic athletes with endless perseverance. “Just like a dud that has not yet exploded, there is an unexpected power in us,” they write on their website www.blindgangers.nl
💙👁️ The trio consists of Björn, Sander and Lowie. You have undoubtedly seen Lowie's name on our social media channels before. He has ADOA, but doesn't let that stop him. For example, he was the first person IN THE WORLD to run a marathon without a buddy!
This weekend it happened again: Lowie and Björn ran the 15 km Uilentoren Loop in Leersum. The challenge? Björn was not Lowie's buddy, but Lowie was Björn's buddy! Björn ran the run blindfolded! Despite the fact that they are two trained athletes, it was quite exhausting. Normally Björn is the one who guides.
Björn: “I have run blindfolded before, but that was on an athletics track with a guide who could see well. A trail run with a visually impaired buddy is something different. I dare to do quite a bit, but it still plays through your mind: hopefully he can see well enough. That makes it exciting. You encounter new challenges every round.”
Fortunately, it went well. It was especially busy in the first round and therefore we had to pay attention. But when there was a bit more space and Lowie and Björn had a good tactic, they were able to rush through and set a good time.
“No matter how you look at it, who you are, what you do, whether your guide sees well or not: in the end it all comes down to trust. Let go of that fear, just go and see if it works. And it worked!” says Björn. “We were able to keep up a pretty good pace and we didn’t fall. I’d say the experiment was a success!”
Check our Instagram stories for a video from Lowie's perspective. Very nice to see how walking with a buddy works.
✨ We are very curious about the next challenge of the Blindgangers. You too? Follow them on Instagram!
