Legally blind Marla Runyan finished fifth overall and first for U.S. female runners in the New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 3. Runyan completed the marathon with a time of 2:27:10, 36 seconds ahead of defending champion Margaret Okayo, who set the course record last year. Runyan's time was the tenth fastest in a marathon by an American woman, which is a considerable achievement considering that she usually runs much shorter distances. She was eighth in the 1,500-meter at the 2000 Olympics, broke the U.S. record for the indoor 5,000-meter as in 2001, and won the U.S. outdoor title in the 5,000-meter in 2001-2002.

Runyan has a degenerative eye condition known as Stargardt's disease, which limits her vision to about 15 feet. She can't see her watch, for example, during a run. A cyclist rode near Runyan to inform her of split times and approaching turns. Throughout the race, the instructions could be heard: "We're approaching the bridge in 200 meters!'' or "The pack is intact!'' or "Your bottle is there at the end!''

View Marla's personal website at http://www.ncpad.org/673/2904/2002-11-01