Blind runner and Braille artist Clarke Reynolds is aiming for a world first with hundreds of Be My Eyes volunteers taking turns to join him remotely, cheering him on as he runs and trains for the Brighton Marathon’s 26 mile course.
Clarke, known professionally as Mr Dot, will run the iconic Brighton route on April 12 supported by volunteers who’ll view his route through Meta and Be My Eyes.
The artist and children’s author has only 5% vision and is fundraising for Fight for Sight. He has the inherited condition Retinitis Pigmentosa and describes his vision as “like looking underwater”.
So, how does it work?
Be My Eyes, is an app which connects people who are blind or have low vision with volunteers worldwide through live video and artificial intelligence.
Clarke, 45, will be wearing Rayban Meta Wayfarer smart glasses connected to Be My Eyes.
A succession of volunteers will be able to see what’s in front of Clarke, through the glasses (from Clarke’s perspective) via the Be My Eyes app on their smart device or laptop and join his run remotely in real-time, supporting and encouraging him along the 26.2-mile marathon route through the City.
Thanks to Be My Eyes Groups, Clarke will be able to connect directly with a pre-selected team of trusted volunteers throughout the marathon. While Be My Eyes typically connects blind and low-vision users with volunteers from anywhere in the world, Be My Eyes Groups is a newly launched feature on the Meta AI Glasses that allows users to create private, dedicated volunteer circles. For the marathon, Clarke’s volunteers will be carefully selected and briefed in advance, ensuring he can always reach familiar, prepared supporters when he needs assistance.
Clarke will be running to fundraise for Fight for Sight
Clarke says: “This is a world first! I’m so excited! I’ll be the first blind person running a full marathon while being supported by volunteers using Be My Eyes. This technology is so liberating!
“Using the app is incredible! I head out for a run and say the three magic words, Be My Eyes, and there I am connected to someone who will support me. They could be anywhere in the world!”
Clarke is an experienced runner and has previously completed the London Marathon with a guide. As a backup safety precaution for this groundbreaking challenge, a trained guide runner, provided by The Richard Whitehead Foundation through their Supported Runner Project, will trail Clarke.
“I love making the connection with people, telling them about why I’m running, and about Fight for Sight’s work. They are always really interested and love being part of something so out of the ordinary. We chat as I run.”
Powered on by volunteers worldwide
With less than 2 weeks to go before the Brighton Marathon, Clarke is pounding the streets every day using Be My Eyes. So far, he has been supported by over 100 volunteers through the app, and he estimates that by the time he completes the Brighton Marathon he will have been powered on by up to 200 individual volunteers around the world.
Describing his experience using the app for training, Clarke says: “I have 10 seconds to say ‘Hi I’m Clarke, I’m training to run a marathon. They see me. They’re expecting me to ask where is the soup? Or help me to a shop.
So, they are pretty blown away when I say I’m training for the Brighton Marathon! Some have even offered to sponsor me!
I love the idea that people from all over the world – from Croydon to Kansas and Belfast to Bahrain - will have helped me to achieve it.”
Raising funds and awareness of vision loss
For Clarke, who became an ambassador for Fight for Sight in 2024, the challenge is not just about raising vital funds for Fight for Sight’s pioneering research. It is also a way for him to inspire and encourage other people with vision loss.
Clarke says: “This isn’t just about running a marathon. This is about challenging society’s ideas about what blind people can do!”
Fight for Sight’s Director of Impact and External Affairs, Eleanor Southwood MBE, says: "Watching one of our ambassadors take on such an extraordinary challenge is phenomenal. As well as raising vital funds for our work, Clarke is raising awareness in a unique way by involving Be My Eyes volunteers along his route. We can’t wait to cheer him on!"
If you’d like to help Clarke reach his fundraising goal and make a difference to the lives of people with sight loss, click here to donate.
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