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The Shakeout Podcast: 20 Days, 885K, 8% Vision

A blind runner attempts to run the Bruce Trail end-to-end and almost comes up short.

The Bruce Trail is the oldest and longest marked trail in Canada. At 885K it follows the Niagara Escarpment from Tobermory to the Niagara River. Many people have attempted to run the entire trail, which with its challenging terrain provides a test for even the most seasoned runners.

But in August of 2014, one runner started out on the Bruce Trail’s northern end in Tobermory, Ontario to do something that no one had ever attempted before: to become the first athlete with a disability to complete the end-to-end journey across the trail.

On this week’s episode of The Shakeout, we bring you the story of Rhonda-Marie Parke, an athlete with only 8% vision, who set out to run the Bruce Trail in 20 days. It is an incredible story of adversity, perseverance, and advocacy.

We would like to thank the Ontario Media Development Corporation for their contributions to this podcast.

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