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Sight, particularly as it pertains to extreme athletic feats, is fast becoming overrated.
As Playbook guest blogger Simon Wheatcroft is proving, blindness is just another hurdle that any dedicated athlete -- given the will and fortitude to compete -- can overcome. Wheatcroft is training for a 100-mile ultramarathon, despite a degenerative eye disease that's left him legally blind.
Now, one of his countrymen has proved that such feats aren't limited to terra firma.
Steve Thiele, a 45-year-old Barclays IT engineer from Audley, England, has been blind since age 8, when he fell headfirst out of a tree. However, it hasn't stopped him from getting out on his water skis and pushing the boundaries of physical achievement.
In an effort to raise money for Cancer Research UK and Ghana Outlook, Thiele announced in December that he would attempt to break the Guinness World Record for longest water-skiing distance by a blind person. His initial plan was to head out last weekend and completely circle the island of Anglesey, some 70 miles in total water skiing.
The previous distance record for blind water skiing was 20 miles, and Thiele (though legally blind for 37 years) would have to wear a blindfold, as per requirements set forth by Guinness.
Thiele is a former competitor in the Disabled Water Ski World Championships. Despite his lack of sight, he uses no special equipment, save for a whistle that he uses to communicate with the boat's driver.
In the end, Thiele achieved his goal of breaking the world record, but came well short of making it around the entire island. His final distance of 23.85 miles smashed the old record by nearly four miles, and he covered the distance in just 59 minutes, 49 seconds.
And thanks to his online profile, Thiele also raised thousands of dollars for cancer research and building schools in Ghana.
Not bad for a leisurely hour out on the water.
Photo: FPNW/Barcroft Media
