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Tom Oswin will be participating in his fifth half marathon tomorrow – but this time with a slight difference.
Oswin lives with a degenerative eye condition, which he was diagnosed with aged 18.
His eyesight has slowly worsened since.
An active person, Oswin has run four half marathons, but none since moving to Guernsey in 2017.
His condition means that he now walks with a long cane, and therefore the sports that he used to enjoy, such as football and running, are less accessible to him.
Pictured: Tom Oswin is determined to find ways to stay active, including taking part in the Butterfield Half on Sunday.
He has begun to find options that are safe for him to enjoy, including climbing with Climb LBG and walking.
With this in mind, he decided to take on the challenge of completing his next half marathon as a walk, rather than a run.
The process was smooth, from signing up online to receiving help from the organisers at Guernsey Athletics to work out what support he needed to complete the course safely.
He will be wearing a special high-vis vest on Sunday and will be supported by his friend Craig as his guide runner.
Oswin says there have been some unexpected benefits to his training, such as learning to keep a better posture when using his, relatively new, long cane.
He wants to use this experience to show others in positions similar to his that there are different ways to engage with sports and events, and to show that adaptations can be made to help with inclusivity.
The Prevention of Discrimination (Guernsey) Ordinance legislation will soon be introduced, and the adaptations at this event highlights how barriers can be removed to create equal opportunities in sport and physical activity.
The Butterfield Half Marathon 2023 starts at 09:00 on Sunday 17 September at L’Eree. The 13.1 miles route follows the coast towards Bordeaux, and then on to the finish line on the Crown Pier in St Peter Port.
Pictured top: Tom Oswin in training for the Butterfield Half.
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