Visually Impaired Veteran Running for Ski Charity Arrives at John O’Groats
8th September 2024
Last modified on September 14th, 2024
Darren Blanks has been running from Land’s End to John O’Groats and has just completed his challenge. He’s been completing more than a marathon a day to raise money for the Visually Impaired Ski Club. PlanetSKI has been following his progress. UPDATED
He arrived at John O’Groats on Thursday, 12th September.
On the home straight:
Not only is Darren severely visually impaired & registered blind, but he is also deaf in one ear and has a brain injury.
“I’m sure you’ll agree that this extraordinary young man has overcome diversity, demonstrated that physical and mental impairment can be overcome by sheer guts dogged determination,” said Stewart Graham from VIV Ski Club.
It’s over 850 miles and Darren has been running 30+ miles a day.
We reported as Darren set out from Land’s End on August 16th and have been following his progress:
- Visually impaired veteran running Land’s End to John O’Groats for ski charity
- Veteran Running Land’s End To John O’Groats Approaches His Targets
Here are some his latest Facebook posts from the penultimate day:
See here for Darren’s Just Giving Page where you can make a donation.
His target was originally £8,500 but he raised it to £10,000 as money came flooding in.
He has now smashed that and has so far raised a total of £17,316 – more than double his original target.
See here for more on Darren’s Facebook Page.
Image c/o Visually Impaired Veterans Ski Club.
He is undertaking this feat of endurance to raise money for The Visually Impaired Veterans Ski Club, VIV Ski Club.
The club was founded over 45 years ago to give veterans with visual impairments a chance to enjoy a week of skiing or snowboarding each year.
For people who are members of the VIV Ski Club, skiing is an important part of their rehabilitation and ongoing well-being.
“The club helps members to gain confidence and freedom on the snow with support from a dedicated team of experienced volunteer guides, most of whom are veterans themselves,” said Stewart Graham from VIV Ski Club to PlanetSKI.
“All our visually impaired veterans (VIs) are registered blind, with their impairments ranging from heavily blurred vision to zero sight.”
Darren started skiing in 2016 as a complete beginner after losing his sight and has progressed really well.
His big achievement was being able to ski round the Sellaronda ski circuit which stretches over a length of about 40 kilometres.
Darren Blanks. Image c/o VIV Ski Club.
Darren Blanks. Image c/o VIV Ski Club.
Here at PlanetSKI we continue to follow Darren’s progress as the challenge comes to an end.
This is the link to Darren’s GeoTag so you can track him on his challenge.
Image c/o Darren Blanks.
