During the Boston Marathon this year, if you see number 1038 racing toward the finish line, cheer for her. Amy McDonaugh won’t be able to see you, but she’ll hear you. And when you’re running the 26.2 miles of the Boston Marathon without eyesight, words of motivation can help.
McDonaugh, 36, will be competing this year in the Visually Impaired Division at the marathon, and she currently holds the title of the fastest blind female marathoner in the country. She has her sights set on breaking the marathon record for her division, which was set at a very competitive 2:30:28 in 2003 by Oregon runner by Marla Runyan. Earlier this year in March, McDonaugh broke the B2 US Half Marathon record when she finished the NYC Half Marathon in 1:22:23. All together, she’s finished a total of eight full marathons since she started competing.
When McDonaugh was 11 years old, she had recently completed her first 5K when she was diagnosed with an arteriovenous malformation–an abnormal connection between her veins and arteries that causes intense pain and bleeding, and can lead to further serious medical problems. After undergoing a series of surgeries, McDonaugh survived, but one operation left her blind in both eyes.
Despite such setbacks, McDonaugh led a normal life before she started running marathons. After having three kids, she said that she picked up running again nine years ago as a way to get out of the house and feel more independent. In 2011, she won her first marathon, the Flying Pig Marathon in Cleveland Ohio.
“I know I never dreamed I would be a runner, let alone a halfway decent one who has won marathons,” McDonaugh said in a press release with the Massachusetts Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired (MAB), who will be sponsoring her race in Boston on Monday. “Winning that race opened my eyes to a whole new world that was out there.”
As she prepares for Monday’s race, in which she will be joining MAB’s Team With A Vision, McDonaugh logs in up to 85 miles a week while training. She is a member of Team Utopia and the Columbia Running Club back home in Irmo, South Carolina, and she would advise anyone starting to run to join a running club that welcomes all members.
“I have to say that the support and encouragement that I have received from others has helped me a lot,” says McDonaugh. Her greatest challenge while running is keeping up a positive mentality–she says negative thoughts can creep into her head during tough workouts and races.
In order to keep going, McDonaugh says, “The crowds help, but I also think of the people I may be inspiring and the joy of the finish line.”
On the day before the marathon, MAB will be partnering with the Boston Athletic Association for the second annual Blindfold Challenge 5K. Sixty-four runners will be partnered up–one runner blindfolded, the other guiding–in an 8 a.m. race from Copley Square Park in Back Bay to the marathon finish line in Copley Square. Each team running will be raising money for the sponsoring non-profit organizations who support the blind and visually impaired.
During the marathon, the Mobility Impaired Division heads out on the course first at 9 a.m. For more information, go to baa.org.
