Blind Runner Completes Marathon With Smart Glasses

Clarke Reynolds crossed the finish line of the Brighton Marathon after running for six hours and 20 minutes, guided entirely by strangers he'd never met in person.

The 45-year-old artist from Portsmouth has only 5% of his vision due to retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that makes everything look like he's "looking underwater." But on April 12, he wore Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses connected to the Be My Eyes app, allowing volunteers across the globe to see exactly what he saw and guide him turn by turn.

Around 150 volunteers from Croydon to Kansas and Belfast to Bahrain took turns supporting Reynolds throughout his training and race day. They could watch the course unfold through his glasses on their phones or laptops, directing him around obstacles and cheering him forward in real time.

The technology worked nearly flawlessly for the entire 26.2-mile course. When internet connectivity dropped in crowded areas, trained guide runner Alaistair Ratcliffe ran alongside as backup until the connection restored.

Reynolds, who goes by the professional name Dot, had trained for weeks using the same system. He'd greet new volunteers with just 10 seconds to explain his unusual request. "They're expecting me to ask 'Where is the soup?' or 'Help me to a shop,' so they're pretty blown away when I say I'm training for a marathon," he said.

Why This Inspires

Reynolds wasn't just chasing a personal record. He raised over $3,250 for Fight for Sight, a charity he serves as an ambassador.

His achievement proves what's possible when human kindness meets cutting-edge technology. The Be My Eyes app typically helps blind users with everyday tasks like reading labels or finding items, but Reynolds pushed it to entirely new limits.

"By running a marathon and using the tech in a way that hasn't been done before, I've raised awareness and sparked so many conversations, which I hope will help to challenge society's ideas about what blind people can do," Reynolds said.

Be My Eyes volunteer Julie Sutton traveled to present Reynolds with his medal at the finish line. In a touching gesture, Reynolds immediately gave the medal to Ratcliffe, his backup guide.

"There's so much to be hopeful about," Reynolds said about the future of assistive technology opening new possibilities for people with sight loss.