Western States 100 - Inclusive for Blind/Visually Impaired runners who need Guides
June 29, 2019 - History was made today in the world of trail running at the ultra-distance. The oldest 100-mile organized trail race - The Western States 100 - become inclusive today for blind and visually impaired runners who need guides to compete. At 5 am Pacific Daylight Time, a legally blind runner started the race with 368 other racers. The legally blind runner also had a guide - so there were actually 370 people who began the race. This is an important point. The field limit size for the race is 369 people. However, the blind runner was able to have a guide and the field size was not compromised. The Western States 100 has set an historic precedent for itself - it will allow blind and visually impaired runners to have guides. One year ago, this was not the case at the Western States 100 trail race. The race had prohibited visually impaired and blind runners from bringing their own guides. Visually impaired and blind runners were told they had to "follow another