Mark Rogerson is set to become the first person with sight loss in Europe to complete the six World Marathon Majors, the most prestigious distance running series in the world.
Mark, from St Helens in Merseyside, will be running his final race in Boston on April 15, alongside his guide runner Katie Garrity.
Raising over £25,000 for the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), Mark started the challenge back in 2018. However, the COVID-19 pandemic brought things to a halt, causing Mark to take a two-year break.
Mark lost his sight in 2013 after discovering he had a detached retina and operations to prevent his other retina from detaching caused him to contract an infection, and his remaining sight couldn’t be saved.
RNIB has supported Mark in a number of ways since his diagnosis, which led the 41-year-old to join the charity as a Senior Project Assistant to support other blind and partially sighted people.
“It’s been a brilliant experience so far; I’ve been able to visit places that I probably wouldn’t have seen if I wasn’t doing this,” said Mark, who to date has completed the Chicago, Berlin, New York, London and Tokyo marathons.
“The atmosphere of people joining forces, because we’ve got the same end goal, is a wonderful thing to be part of.
“Being able to raise £25,000 organically from everyday people, with no support from corporate sponsors, is a humbling feeling and restores my faith in humanity. It’s for an important cause and I’m thankful for every donation.”
Mark is no stranger to running and has completed the London Marathon four times, and with every race, his pace has improved. He teamed up with his guide runner Katie for the Chicago Marathon in 2018 and the pair have been a duo ever since.
Mark is thought to be the first person with sight loss in Europe to complete the six World Marathon Majors.
“We are incredibly proud of Mark and grateful for the funds he has raised for RNIB so far,” said Chris Perrin, RNIB’s Head of Supporter Led Fundraising.
"It’s been a rollercoaster of a journey with many delays due to the pandemic, but he didn’t let that deter him from achieving his goal.”
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