Simon Wheatcroft lost his sight at the age of 17, but this hasn’t stopped him from competing in some of the most extreme running events in the world.
Earlier this year, he attempted a 150-mile ultra-marathon across the desert in Namibia – managing 100 miles before having to pull out because of the extreme heat.
And if that wasn’t amazing enough, Simon ran the 100 miles unassisted, using just his smartphone.
A specialized GPS app kept him on the route, beeping when he strayed off course.
This was different from the many city marathons he’s run, where he’s accompanied by a running partner to keep him on course and stop him bumping into objects and other runners.
Simon and IBM are continuing to develop the app, hopefully to allow him – and other blind athletes – to run city marathons without worrying about obstacles.
