Eyes on the Prize: The Hidden World of Paralympic Guides

This is Unsung. Introducing the sports stars you don’t know, telling the stories you can’t miss. 

There are hundreds of visually impaired athletes around the world who aren’t able to see the finish line yet can complete a race quicker than most of us can tie our shoelaces. 

Some run far, rather than fast. Some even try swimming or cycling. That they’re able to do so is thanks to a largely undocumented partnership that deserves a bit more love and attention.

And so, in this new episode of Unsung, we’re delving into the hidden world of para sport guides.

We speak to visually impaired Welsh sprinter James Ledger, along with his Scottish guide Greg Kelly, to discover the nuances and challenges involved in building a strong relationship both on and off the track. 

We also speak to American triathlete and Ironman legend Ben Hoffman, as he embarks on a new career as a guide for Owen Cravens, one of the USA’s brightest talents in the paratriathlon. 

Many thanks to all the athletes who spoke to us between their training and events, and best of luck to them in their future events.

Head to the links below to find out more about becoming a para guide.

Quotes:

James

“For me growing up it was very much around fitting in and not standing out for having a disability.”

“I went down to my local Swansea Harriers track and from that moment on, I became obsessed with trying to be as fast as I could be.”

“It’s never nice hearing your sight is getting worse, but thankfully, in the amazing world we live in para sport, I'm still able to do the sport I love.”

“One of the biggest challenges to T11 running is finding a guide. It’s tough to find somebody who's fast enough because I need a guide runner who can pretty much run a second faster than me, so that they can run within themselves, control me to run straight, and also communicating as much as possible throughout the race.”

“I’m really grateful for Greg joining me on my journey. Because he definitely came at my hour of need.”

"The amount of trust I have to put into Greg to allow me to run as fast as I can in a straight line in the dark. Having that relationship is vital.”

“I'll always aim to promote guide runners because I think they're incredible people, you know, they allow people like me to follow their dreams. I think they should be really championed as very much the unsung heroes of my sports”

Greg

“It’s almost like riding a bike, the faster you're going, the more stable it feels. Sometimes with jogging and drills, that's actually the hardest in terms of timing. When we're running fast, it's more normal to keep the arms pumping and legs coming up.”

“The trajectory was just going up and up, with some of our best races being in Switzerland and Paris big. It was great to be given that opportunity and in Switzerland, where we got a PB for James, a British record.”

“James said that he doesn't want me to stop competing and striving for my individual aspirations, but it's something that can develop both of us. So hopefully that’s something that breaks the stereotype that if you're a guide runner, you're only a guide runner.”

Ben

“It's rewarding. It feels good to contribute to somebody else's dreams and goals. Because I can remember what it was like to be that age and it's a special time to be setting out on that mission, on that career that's in front of you.” 

“The first race we did in Tasmania I made a mistake, and I actually did an extra lap on the bike of the 20k course, and so we went from leading the race quite comfortably to falling all the way down to seventh place”

“You're not just guiding them for the 55 minutes to an hour that you're doing the course. It's everything leading up to that. You're spending time with them, going to the meetings, you're in the hotel room with them. It's a lot more than just the race day.”

“The level of responsibility that you feel when you get on a tandem bike and you're going 30 miles an hour around a course, with barriers all around you and two people's lives are on the line, is certainly something that I had never experienced before.”

“My big takeaway from being around all these Paralympic athletes, I'm just inspired. These are amazing people, independent of whatever disability that they're operating with. Just to see them show up and do the work and, and be at the level they are, it just gets me fired up and it makes me get the most out of myself.”

Explore more 

British Blind Sport/Run Together - Find a guide runner

https://runtogether.co.uk/get-involved/find-a-guide/

Become a guide runner – England Athletics

https://www.englandathletics.org/take-part/programmes/findaguide/become-a-guide-runner/

British Blind Sport resources

https://britishblindsport.org.uk/sportsresources

British Blind Sport online workshop

https://britishblindsport.org.uk/elearning

Disability Sport Wales podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-disability-sport-wales-podcast/id1524929605

Welsh Para Athletics

https://www.welshathletics.org/en/page/para-athletics

James Ledger Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/jamesledger93/

Greg Kelly Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/gregkelly_99/

Ben Hoffman Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/bhoffmanracing/

Owen Cravens Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/owen.cravens19/

Royal National Institute of Blind People

https://www.rnib.org.uk/

RNIB Cymru Twitter

https://x.com/RNIBCymru

Buy the book

Unsung: Not All Heroes Wear Kits, by Alexis James

http://www.unsungbook.com

More from Off-Field

Unsung is an Off-Field production, bringing you the untold and unsung in audio, digital, and 

print. To enjoy more of our storytelling, head to www.off-field.net

Episode credits

Writing & Narration: Alexis James

Producer: Matt Cheney

Artwork: Matt Walker

Mentioned in this episode:

Sports Podcast Awards

For the second year running, the Unsung podcast has been nominated as a finalist in the Sports Podcast Awards. This time around, we’re shortlisted in two categories: Best Sports Documentary Podcast and Best Olympics and Paralympics Podcast. We’d love your vote! You can do so in the links below: Best Sports Documentary Podcast: https://www.sportspodcastgroup.com/sports_category/best-sports-documentary-podcast Best Olympics and Paralympics Podcast: https://www.sportspodcastgroup.com/sports_category/best-olympics-and-paralympics-podcast