Blind Runner Asks For Help and Chicago Marathoners Respond

By Camela Furry in Miscellaneous on Oct 5, 2009 2:20PM

After being hit by a drunk driver several years ago, David Kuhn of DeKalb, a devoted runner, slowly began losing his eyesight. He is now legally blind and needs a guide with him when he runs. When his sighted guide for the Chicago Marathon next weekend had to cancel, Kuhn's plans were derailed, and he told NBC Chicago, "I went into full panic mode."

He quickly put in a call for help through a local running store and the responses came flooding in - he soon had over 100 people volunteer to run tethered to him as his sighted guide. Brian Landau will be Kuhn's main guide and there are eight other runners in the wings who are ready to step in for Landau if he's injured or drops out along the 26.2 mile course. Kuhn had to turn people down but they still want to be a part of his race and will run alongside him. "He's a fearless guy. He's pretty amazing. There will be a lot of energy feeding off of him", said Laundau.

Kuhn will be running to raise money for the Family Service Agency's Senior Service Center, an agency that serves homebound seniors where he teaches computer skills, piano and chess. He told NBC Chicago, "I'm sitting here thinking: Just Monday I'd felt like such a burden to ask people to run with me, and now I'm finding out that, for a lot of people, I'm the motivating force to help them through. It's crazy."