Blind Runner Finishes Her First Half Marathon

Juliette Warren ran and finished The Dietz & Watson Philadelphia Half Marathon (13.1 miles) in 2 hours and 23 minutes this past November 18. This was her first ever half marathon. It had its set of challenges, but facing challenges is nothing new for the 39-year-old Warren of Drexel Hill, Pa. Sixteen years ago, at age 23, Warren lost her vision.

“It was unexpected,” said Warren. She never had a visual impairment or eye disease.

“I went from having 20/20 vision to being totally blind in 72 hours,” said Warren.

This was due to Pseudotumor cerebri, which mostly affects women between ages 20-50.

Pseudotumor cerebri is likely due to high pressure within the skull caused by the buildup or poor absorption of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

(Cited at https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/pseudotumor-cerebri#toc-what-is-pseudotumor-cerebri-)

Warren moved back home with her parents.

Warren said:

“I went through a very difficult time, but I had a wonderful support system while I was mourning the loss of my sight. My parents were looking out for me.”

She spent the next five months moping around her parents’ house while praying that she would get her sight back. Deep down, she knew that that would never happen.

After five months, her parents sent her to BLIND, Incorporated in Minneapolis, Minn. There, people who had recently lost their vision learned how to live independently. None of the instructors there were able to see either.

The National Federation For The Blind (NFB) established this program. The NFB helps blind people and blind individuals run the NFB.

Besides learning Braille and computer programs designed for blind and sight impaired individuals, Warren took difficult courses such as woodshop where she and her classmates learned how to use real power tools.

She was not afraid to use them because her instructors were blind and they knew what they were doing.

She did other activities such as kayaking, rock climbing, and dogsledding.

“They wanted to teach us that there are no barriers,” said Warren.

One of her most challenging classes was orientation and mobility where blind and sight impaired people learn to travel independently. In order to graduate from the class, students get dropped off a few miles from the school and they have to walk back alone without transportation.

Warren spent 11 months at BLIND, Incorporated.

When she returned to the Philadelphia area, she now knew how to live independently, and she eventually became a tax analyst for the IRS. But something was missing.

Prior to losing her vision, Warren was a top athlete. She played basketball for the University of Delaware on a full four-year scholarship. Now, she thought that she could never again enjoy the benefits of being athletic.

All that changed sixteen months ago; she posted on Facebook that she was blind and needed someone from her area to take walks with her. As a result, she met a woman in her neighborhood who was part of the Philadelphia chapter of Achilles International, an organization committed to making it possible for people with disabilities to run.

“My first time there, I just walked,” said Warren. Then she started jogging and then progressed to running.

“I stayed with Achilles because I love running,” said Warren. “The people there are incredible. I can’t imagine not being part of Achilles.”

Achilles helped her train for The Dietz & Watson Philadelphia Half Marathon.

Because she made vast improvements as a runner, the Philadelphia Chapter of Achilles presented her with the honor of being their Athlete of the Year. She received this award in September.

“I felt honored,” said Warren. “I was happy that they thought that I was worthy of the award.”

She is now considering training for a full 26.2 mile- marathon.

Warren learned from Achilles athletes about other sports programs for blind and visually impaired people, such as beep baseball, adaptive rock climbing, and adaptive golf. She takes part in those sports.

A key reason that she excels in these sports is that she remembers what she learned from the staff at BLIND, Incorporated:

There are no barriers.

To learn more about the Philadelphia Achilles chapter, log onto https://www.facebook.com/groups/678101945544265/

To learn more about Achilles International, log onto https://www.achillesinternational.org/