Friday, September 08, 2000

Speed takes him to Sydney

---

Runner adapts to blindness, aims for Paralympic medal

By John Johnston
The Cincinnati Enquirer

        Lynn Wachtell sits on his backyard deck discussing the challenges of running a marathon.

Lynn Wachtell has run 15 marathons since 1992. (Enquirer photo) | ZOOM |

        It's tough finding time to train for a 26-mile, 385-yard race, the St. Bernard man says. On weekdays he's up at 4:30 a.m., catches a bus at 5:25 and gets to his full-time job by 7. So he squeezes in a run at lunch, and racks up more miles after work.

        Then there's the problem of finding running partners. He says being part of a group motivates him.

        At some point, you figure, he'll get to the obvious obstacle. But until he's asked about it, he doesn't mention being legally blind.

        “I've dealt with it all my life,” he says, “that's why I don't consider it much of a problem for me.”

        Indeed, no. He has run 15 marathons since 1992. On Oct. 29, he'll tackle his 16th while representing the United States at the Paralympic Games in Sydney, Australia, where 4,000 elite disabled athletes from 125 countries are expected.

        Aimee Bruder of Lawrenceburg will be the Tristate's other representative at the Paralympics. She is a swimmer with cerebral palsy, and is training in Bowling Green, Ohio.

        Mr. Wachtell will tune up for the Paralympics at the first LensCrafters Eye Run for Vision 5K Run/Walk on Sunday at Cincinnati Museum Center. LensCrafters is one of his sponsors.
       

Seeing is challenge
        Mr. Wachtell can see well enough to run without a sighted guide. That's not to say he can see well.

SYDNEY AND BEYOND

Through the next month, he'll run about 100 miles a week. He'll work on his speed, fine-tune his form. He'll hit the weight room three times a week. He'll try to keep strong, avoid injury, watch what he eats.   “I run because I love to run,” he says. “Kids, and people who are trying to run, I hope they look at what I do as an inspiration, and know that anything's achievable, no matter what kind of disability you have.”   He keeps a list of things he wants to do. Some are already checked off. Whitewater rafting, for instance. “That was a blast.” And water skiing. And running marathons, of course.   “I still want to sky dive,” he says. “I'd love to go mountain climbing.”   First things first. Sydney awaits.

ABOUT THE PARALYMPICS

The Paralympic Games are timed to coincide with the Olympics every four years. They begin about two weeks after the Olympic Games end, in the same host city. This year, the Paralympics are Oct. 18-29.   About 125 countries will send 5,000 athletes to the Paralympics in Sydney, Australia. The United States will send about 400.   The Paralympics are not connected with Special Olympics, the games for people with mental and developmental disabilities. The Paralympics is for elite athletes with physical disabilities who train rigorously to qualify. Like Olympic athletes, Paralympians compete for gold, silver and bronze medals.

PARALYMPIC FUND-RAISER

The U.S. Association of Blind Athletes will pay some of Lynn Wachtell's costs to attend the Paralympics in Sydney, Australia, but he must raise $3,000 himself.   A fund-raising dance will be held 8 p.m. to midnight Sept. 23 at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1042, 5910 Vine St., Elmwood Place. Preferred Stock, a band from Columbus, will perform. Admission is $10 at the door, $8 in advance. Information: 242-4232.

        Since birth, he's had almost no vision in his left eye, a result of optic nerve damage. He has no depth perception. He also has a “wandering eye” disorder that keeps his eyeballs constantly in motion.

        He can see objects, but not details. He can't tell if someone sitting a few feet away wears glasses. He can't make out facial expressions. During an interview he starts to pick up a tape recorder, mistaking it for a phone.

        Still, he runs marathons, as well as 5-kilometer and 10-kilometer events.

        “I've gone the wrong way a couple times in local races,” he says. “At St. Mary's in Hyde Park, I went straight when I should have went right. Someone said, "You're going the wrong way!'”

        He smiles. At 39, his dark hair is thinning, and his beard is flecked with gray. He's a systems analyst for the Internal Revenue Service. The Cleveland native has lived here 13 years.

        During marathons, he doesn't see water stations until he's on top of them. He can't see time clocks posted along the route, so he holds his watch an inch from his “good” eye. Bright sunlight causes shadows that give him trouble. And it's difficult to dodge potholes and water puddles when you can't see those, either.

        The real challenge, though, involves training on local roads.

        “I've come close a number of times to being hit,” he says. “I can see cars coming up on me, but I can't see what the person inside the car is doing, if they're looking at me, or straight, or left.”

        He often runs in Florence, near his IRS office. Once, a truck with flashing lights passed him. He didn't know it warned of another truck carrying an extra-wide load. At the last moment he avoided being hit by a house.

        “That scared the hell out of me,” he says.
       

Getting in shape
        Such are the hazards of a sport he took up in 1991 at the urging of co-workers.

        “My mother and sisters thought it was a little bit crazy. But it was a challenge I wanted.”

        A year later he ran his first marathon in Louisville. He learned what it was like to hit the wall, to have legs feel like they're tied to sandbags.

        But he wanted to do another one.

        He trained more seriously, ran more marathons, got involved with the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes. That's how he learned about the Paralympics.

        He qualified for the '96 Paralympics in Atlanta by running the Boston Marathon that year in 3 hours, 5 minutes. In Atlanta, he improved his time to 3 hours, 1 minute, and finished sixth.

        Then he started to focus on Sydney.

        “He's an incredibly competitive person,” says Joe Quintanilla, a visually impaired runner from Chelsea, Mass. He met Mr. Wachtell four years ago at the Paralympic trials in Los Angeles and now coaches him.

        “He loves to set a goal and see if he can achieve it. But more so, I think he really wants to see the progress he derives from training and racing.”

        Mr. Wachtell's best marathon time is 2 hours, 56 minutes. That was 1999 in Boston, when he claimed second place in the visually impaired division.

        His goal for Sydney is 2 hours, 50 minutes, which he hopes will earn him a medal.
       

---

Final farewells to Office Kevin Crayon, Courtney Mathis
Excerpts from Officer Kevin Crayon's funeral
Bush vows to boost military morale
Fire chief harasser, some say
Plan: Expand Ohio dental care
Goals outlined in 'state of schools' address
New magnet schools sign-up plan
United Way's goal a record $59.6 million
'Hump' crews tell of awe, fear
Accused killer of daughter, 2, faces rape trial
Board plans to keep pursuing dentist
Boone Co. regroups on anti-mine stance
College taught him one thing: It's up to you
26 complaints made about Rosedale
Concealed gun law 'unfair'
Draud agrees to spar
Fire rips Reading plant
Ask a Stupid Question
Lunken critics blast deal
Manhunt ends when husband turns self in
Monroe City Fest expanding along with area
Oktoberfest OKs beer in street
Olympics haven't won city over
President of UD will leave post he has held since 1979
Second act saves 'Merry Wives'
Sheriff's donation fund to be audited
Speed takes him to Sydney
Suspect in prank calls: no contest
Turfway partner may sell share
West Side loves a parade
Get to it
Kentucky News Briefs
Pig Parade: Newpig Aquarium
Tristate A.M. Report