“People are often surprised to see a blind guy running but they’re even more amazed when I run past them.”

This is Adam’s #MyFitStory…

Growing up, at school, Adam was never the fit kid; never the athlete. From an early age, he developed problems with his eyes. As he grew through adolescence these problems were amplified and, at 19 he lost sight in his left eye. Then, aged 22, he lost sight in his right eye. When Adam was told that total blindness was inevitable, he enjoyed a period of living it up. It was the gift of his seeing eye dog, Usher, that helped change Adam’s life and bring it under control. Furthermore, while studying remedial massage, Adam began to learn more about health, fitness and nutrition. As he grew to develop a greater understanding of the importance of a healthy lifestyle, he made the decision to make a lasting change to his life, turning his attention to healthy eating and a regular exercise regimen. With running as his focus, Adam dropped from 125kg to 87kg.

He has now run over one hundred races and fun runs, including five marathons and four obstacle races! It’s an impressive record and one he’s looking forward to adding to. In October, he’ll run as a pace-setter in the Melbourne Marathon and he’s got his sights set on longer distance obstacle runs.

Adam is a true running fan. It’s why he still enjoys 5K and 10K fun runs. But he loves the challenge of the longer distance, “I just enjoy pushing the physical boundaries and pushing the marathons, the speeds and distances. When you pass the finish line and you’ve given it all that you’ve got, there’s nothing in the world that feels any better than that.”

Adam couldn’t run the way he does without a guide to help him. With a good running guide, beside him, Adam can focus entirely on his running. As Adam says, it’s a relationship where he needs to know he rely on his guide without question,“For me to run as fast as I can, I have to put a lot of trust in my guide.”

Through his organisation ‘You Got This’, Adam is spreading the story of resilience, positivity and creative thinking. It’s a story he’s telling to wide audience, from school kids to corporations. He enjoys telling the story because he’s experienced – first-hand – the benefits of the adoption of a healthy lifestyle, “Running is not just my chosen sport, it’s my recreation, it’s my passion and I’ve met some wonderful people along the way.”