'I've never seen a finish line but I can hear the crowd'

From: "BlindNews Mailing List" <BlindNews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <BlindNews@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2007 21:44:25 -0400

I C Wales (UK)
Tuesday, October 23, 2007

By Lydia Whitfield, South Wales Echo

RUNNER Tracey Hinton has won medals in competitions all over the world, but has
never seen a finish line.

Tracey, 37, from Llanedeyrn, Cardiff, lost her sight to cancer when she was
four but has represented Great Britain at the last four Paralympic Games.

Tracey runs and trains at University of Wales Institute Cardiff, with her coach
and guide runner Darrell Maynard, who has been her "eyes" on the track for more
than two years.

With Darrell at her side, Tracey's won a host of medals including gold medals
at last year's Paralympics in Melbourne and a gold and two silver medals at the
International Blind Sports Association World Games in Brazil in August.

Tracey explains: "I can't see anything at all. I lost one eye when I was two
and the other when I was four, from cancer of the retina and have had
artificial eyes since then. I don't really remember much about being able to
see, except colours, I guess.

"I've never seen a finish line. I've got an idea of how a track is laid out and
how it looks. I have an idea when we're coming into bends and straights because
I can feel it, and I'm pretty good at staying in lane on courses. I can hear
from the crowd when I'm getting near a finish line, especially in big, major
championships.

"This summer, in the Golden League meeting in Paris, the sound of the crowd let
me down. I came fifth. Because sound is my only sense and the crowd was so big
and loud, it got to me so I have to work on that this winter. Once I'm racing,
it's just a matter of concentrating."

Tracey often has to compete against athletes with an element of sight at major
international championships, which sometimes only feature sprints for the
totally blind on their programmes.

She first realised she was a talented runner when she was 17 and at Penybont
School for the Blind, Bridgend. She says: "The school has closed now but I was
there until I was 16. I started doing sport there and really enjoyed it and
over the years got better. I was selected for the British running team so
started to take it seriously at 17. I enjoy the training and travelling the
world. I've been to Brazil and China this year.

"Your guides take you around so you get a real feel for the different cultures,
even without sight. I loved it in Australia. It was really good. I would love
to go back there. I can enjoy a place without seeing it. You get a sense of
what it's like and go for a walk about with a guide runner talking you through
it."

Tracey and Darrell train twice a day, six days a week, including runs, work in
the gym and road runs, usually at Sophia Gardens and the Castle grounds,
because it is safe there for Tracey.

She says: "Hopefully this training is for the Paralympics next year. I made all
the times in Brazil this summer at the International Blind Sports Association
World Games, but you can never tell if you'll qualify.

"If I qualify it will be my fifth Paralympics and for me, the standards have
risen quite a lot because really, the blind racers are sometimes as good as top
club athletes.

"I never used to have a guide runner. When I first started running the 100m,
there used to be somebody calling, and telling you where to go. In places like
the Europeans though, where there's a big crowd, it would be quite hard to hear
a guide. Training is hard, but I do enjoy it. I usually do a long run on a
Sunday. And in the week I combine hill, grass and circuits sessions. I don't
really know anything else other than being blind, it's just the fact of getting
on with it."

Tracey lives with her parents and for the last 18 years has worked two days a
week at the tax office in Llanishen. She says: "I type letters in the Llanishen
office. I've got a speech synthesiser on the computer. I'm just getting my
confidence to use my cane in work so I'm not relying on other people all the
time. It's not that I don't like using the cane, it's just getting the
confidence to do something on your own. We didn't really use canes at all at
blind school.

"I cope well on my own with housework and everything else, but if I have to go
shopping, I usually go with a friend. I tend not to use public transport,
because it can be difficult.

"I get Braille books from the library and listen to lots of audio books. I like
autobiographies usually but I'm reading The Apprentice at the moment.

"And I listen to cheesy pop music like Westlife. I find it hard relaxing, to be
honest. I might watch TV and like the soaps. Through Sky, you can get audio
description of what's going on. I like shopping too - I find that relaxing,
though I buy most things in sports shops. I don't feel I miss out on anything
but the thing I find hardest is depending on a cane."

Before Darrell, Tracey ran with Uwic students as guides. Funding from UK
Athletics and the National Lottery means she can pay them a small amount.

She says: "It's not much but it helps. But because Darrell and I train
together, when it comes to a race, we know each other really well. I'm lucky
because some athletes only occasionally see their guides so it's quite hard for
them. I haven't fallen over in a while - Darrell has though and I couldn't stop
laughing!"

http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/feature-news/2007/10/23/i-ve-never-seen-a-finish-line-but-i-can-hear-the-crowd-91466-19991552/
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'I've never seen a finish line but I can hear the crowd'

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