Seeing is not always believing

Excellence is a reflection of the effort and attention that each of us commits to, rather than the final outcome itself. -Jason Dunkerley

Believing in something does not always require seeing it.

Most runners take their sight and running for granted most days of the week, perhaps only occasionally interrupted by an injury or halted by Mother Nature’s wrath. Paralympic runner Jason Dunkerley cannot see and most running requires the assistance of someone else.

JASON

Born in Ireland in 1977, Jason emigrated with his family from Ireland to Canada in 1991. Jason has called Ottawa, Ont. his hometown since 2002, and it is where he left from this summer on the way to the 2012 London Paralympic Games. Jason has a middle distance runner’s build (one I know well as we are almost the same height and weight) at 6’1″ and a lean 160lbs. Jason and his middle-distance body left for London as a three time Paralympic track medalist who was chasing records in pursuit of capturing Paralympic gold at his fourth Games.

Jason, along with his two brothers, Jon and Chris, grew up with a congenital eye condition called Leber’s Amorosis that only allows  for a very minimal amount of vision. This, however, did not prevent any of the brothers from playing sports or even riding their bicycles. In high school Jason participated in a number of sports but was drawn to running and was encouraged to stick with it. He must have been glad he did for he came to be a great runner.

Training and competing with a guide runner who would run beside him, Jason ran throughout high school and continued in university, qualifying for his first national team in 1998.

When asked about Jason, fellow Paralympic and well-known runner Rick Ball commented that, “Not only is Jason an amazing athlete that pushes his limits to be the best at representing Canada on the world stage but he is also involved with helping to grow the Paralympic movement and help others to achieve their goals.”

PERSONAL BESTS

800m 2:00.60

1500m 4:08.05

1500m (indoors) 4:08.70

5000m 15:46.50

10K 35:27.00

“I count myself very fortunate to have Jason as a training partner. He is the epitome of a great athlete – dedicated, hard working, and positive. Jason is not only my friend, but my role model and inspiration. I strive to someday be as good as him.” – Noella Klawitter (fellow paralympic runner)

EXCERPTS FROM JASON’S BLOG REPORT FROM LONDON

“It was a fast, clean race with perfect running conditions, everything we could have asked for. We went out hard along with the Brazilian and Kenyan teams, and established a good position just off the front. We hit 300m in 46, and as planned, backed off, splitting 400m in about 62, compared to 60 for the leaders. The Chilean team were right there also, and moved past us at some point in the second lap. I think we past them back with about 500 metres to go, its a blurr in my memory to be honest. Ahead of us the Kenyans and Brazilians were in a two-horse race.”

“We had thought they might come back to us a bit after the fast early pace but that didn’t happen. Over the last 300m the Brazilians did start to come back to us but by that point I was hitting the wall after splitting 1200m in about 3:16. And the Chileans, who we’ve never seen before, were chasing us down. Josh was yelling that we had to go and I probably tightened up a bit. Over the last 100m I just gave it everything I had, and thankfully it was enough to hang on for bronze. We ran 4:07.56, a half second off my personal best and 0.2 seconds ahead of the Chileans. Ahead of us, the Kenyan Samuel Muchai and his guide set a new world record running 3:58, and Odair Santos and his Brazilian guide ran 4:03. All four of us broke the previous Paralympic record of 4:08. The crowd was unbelievable, and having Colleen, my parents and aunt, and Ian there to support us and share in it… there’s no feeling like it! And being able to share this with Josh, after the hard work we’ve done this year, was phenomenal. We were able to follow our race plan and run tough, and accomplish something together which we’re very proud of.”

Congratulations Jason, you participated in what has been described as the most successful and most watched Paralympics ever and you did Canada proud.

Paralympic Games Performance

Silver 2000 Sydney 1500m – T11

Silver 2004 Athens 1500m – T11

Silver 2012 London 5000m – T11

Bronze 2008 Beijing 1500m – T11

Bronze 2012 London 1500m – T11

After Jason returned from London and some well deserved rest I had the opportunity to ask him some questions.

You have been running and competing at a high level for many years- what did London mean for you?

“There was a big cultural connection for me tied to the London Games, having grown up in Northern Ireland which is part of the UK. I had relatives from Northern Ireland who came over and family and friends tuned in, so it was very special to have the chance to compete so close to home. Having my wife, parents and my brother there – Jon was competing also – really made it a family experience which we will be able to talk about for years.”

“I think also as you get older, you realize that an opportunity such as competing at the Paralympics is fleeting – you may never have that chance again. You think about everything it has taken to get there, and the support around you, and you wonder if the stars will ever align again in that way. Eighteen months ago I started working with a new coach, Ian Clark, and a year ago began training with guide runner Josh Karanja. In as much as running is individual, the whole London experience was made possible and has so much more meaning because of the team around you. We were able to get back to 1500 metre personal best form which I have not done since 2007, and set a new 5000 metre personal best, in the races when it mattered the most. Competing in London affirmed for me that even at the age of 35, I have good running still in my legs and I’m excited to see where we can take it from here.”

What advice do you have for other Canadians with disabilities who want to run or even compete?

“I think it can be very difficult initially as a person with a disability to have the confidence to get involved in sports. I remember starting university at the University of Guelph and wondering how I could ever continue running. I was fortunate to be introduced to the varsity team, coached by Dave Scott-Thomas. I think people might have been a bit skeptical at first, but once they realized that I was serious about training and getting faster just as they were, I started to earn their respect, friendship and support. As a person with a disability, I think its up to us to find ways of breaking the ice. It might be cracking a joke about your disability, finding ways to help people feel more at ease. For me it led to being in an environment that bred success, and I think environment is everything. Today I’m involved with Achilles Ottawa, a chapter of Achilles International which promotes the mainstream participation of athletes with disabilities. I also work with the Active Living Alliance for Canadians with a Disability, dedicated to promoting a healthier and more active population of people with a disability. I think as people with a disability involved at any level of physical activity, sometimes we might need a little extra push in the beginning to get involved or overcome our fear. Many of us are not exposed to sports as kids, so don’t have the same level of physical literacy that our able bodied peers do. Sometimes those people who organize sports or physical activity programs need to learn how to adapt an activity to include a person with a disability. For all the challenges there are to getting involved as a person with a disability, the benefits are tremendous and can encompass every aspect of life. Whether or not a person becomes a competitive athlete, the sense of health and well-being, and the social inclusion that comes from taking part in sports with others, makes it more than worth it. So I would encourage other Canadians with disabilities interested in running to seek out the support that they need, and to create their own positive environment. It might be necessary to be creative. I’ve done a lot of running on a treadmill and have done stair workouts in the past when a guide runner wasn’t available. I think if people have a goal and are committed and serious, and are tapping into the supports around them, it leads to good things and I’d encourage anyone hoping to get involved in running to believe that there is a way.”

What are your plans for the rest of 2012 and the future?

“Right now I’m on a break and will begin back into some easy running and cross training this week, and will start back into more serious training again in October. I think we’ll spend the rest of the year building a good base, before doing a few indoor races in the winter. The IPC Athletics World Championships are taking place in France in the summer of 2013 and we are going to focus on the 5000m for next year as our primary event. Beyond 2013, I’m not sure at the moment. Lots of people have been asking me about Rio 2016. That feels too far away at the moment to think about. I believe I still have some great running in me and I think as long as I have that feeling, I’m going to want to explore that.”

Away from the track Jason who has a degree in international development works at the Active Living Alliance in Ottawa where he coordinates a national campaign called All Abilities Welcome which promotes inclusive recreation among Canadians with a disability.

Jason lives in Ottawa with his wife Colleen their longhaired cat named Gracie and when not running likes to play guitar and drink coffee at his local coffee shop.

Canada’s running community is made up of all kinds of runners with challenges, success and great stories, it is all of them together that make it great. Run on Jason – Canada and the Canadian running community that you are part of, are proud.

Do you have a story or know someone I should profile?

Legsnlungs@hotmail.com

See you on the roads or in the blogosphere.