Henry and Joseph for the Greatest Race on Earth
11 November 2008
Henry Wanyoike and his running partner Joseph Kivunja ran in the New Delhi Half Marathon on November 4th, 2008. Wanyoike is a goodwill ambassador of ‘Seeing is Believing’ and since he lost his eyesight at the age of 21, he has been running with the aid of his sighted guide, Joseph Kivunja. Ever since he was a young boy, he had always wanted to become a champion, but after losing his eyesight after a mild stroke, his dream seemed impossible to reach. It took Wanyoike three years to accept his disability, but through the support of his family, he resumed his training as a long distance runner.
Since Wanyoike’s first gold medal in the Paralympics in Sydney in 2000, he has won many medals, as well as set many records running in marathons, half-marathons, 10,000m and 5,000m. He has also participated in marathons across Hong Kong, Mumbai, Nairobi and Singapore as part of the ‘Seeing is Believing’ initiative. He states that “it is the urge to challenge the impossible that keeps me going.” His next goal is to compete in the 2012 London Games and to try to target yet another gold medal.
Henry and Joseph are running for a cause. For every kilometer they cover, a dollar will be put in by Standard Chartered Bank for our ‘Seeing is Believing’ campaign. Please see www.thegreatestrace.com for more information.
“It is the urge to challenge the impossible that keeps me going.”Henry Wanyoike
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