Bound By More Than A Shoestring

By Cheryl Hart

Running partners share a special bond. They encourage one another when the miles are long, hilly or tiring. David Gassman, a 48-year-old veteran runner, vividly remembers the first time he met his running partner, Jamie Weedman, a 21-year-old college student at Jefferson Community College.

"Right away I liked Jamie," he recalls. "He is a very personable, confident and goal-oriented young man who is pretty straight forward and likes to talk. And, oh yeah, Jamie is blind."

You wouldn't know it to talk with him. He doesn't see himself as a "blind runner" but a runner. Nor does he want to be defined in life as the "blind boy" but as Jamie.

Jamie is just like any other young runner except that he is more mature about many things - especially about life. He "sees" the world around him by picking up on things that most of us miss.

One of first times that David ran with Jamie, they did an Iroquois High School track speed workout. As they approached the last straight away in about the third 400-meter repeat, David told him that they were nearing the finish line.

"I know," said Jamie.

David later asked him how he knew they were approaching the finish line and Jamie said that he felt the shade.

"What shade?" asked David.

Jamie had noticed that the last turn leading to the finish was the only shaded area on the track, so he knew when to kick it in for a strong finish.

David says this is typical of Jamie. He happens to be missing one sense but makes full use - and then some - of others.

Jamie explained that relying on the other four senses comes into play when running. He can hear more, has a keener sense of focus and can smell the rain. The only negative that Jamie could think of was not being able to drive.

His parents, Pauletta Feldman and Maury Weedman, claim that he was born with a positive disposition.

"That is his primary gift," says Maury. "He has no self-pity over anything. He gets down like anyone else but seems to float back up."

This resiliency and competitive spirit drive him to constantly set and reach new goals. Jamie began running in the ninth grade, when he ran track at The School for the Blind.

"Running came naturally to me," said Jamie. "There's not this rule and that rule. It's pure and simple."

Over the past five years, he has run distances from sprint up to seven miles. He has improved his 5K time to just under an 8-minute-per-mile pace and is considering the miniMarathon next year.

Building A Partnership

Robin Frazier, the race director for the Visual Impaired Preschool (VIPS) race, approached David about guiding a local blind runner in the five-mile race (a challenging, hilly course) that includes and encourages visually-impaired runners from all over the country, as well as locally. They try to match a vision-impaired runner with a guide who is a little faster, so the guide can have the breath to describe the course and lend encouragement. David and Jamie made a good match.

On their first training run, Jamie's father showed David how to use a double-looped shoestring to guide Jamie around Iroquois Park.

"After a few minutes of awkward running that first meeting, we seemed to just fall into a comfortable running pattern and have been since," David recalls.

"We don't really think about our stride being timed together, but just run side by side as I would with any of my friends - except that we are joined together by the shoestring."

David's job is to guide Jamie, avoiding potholes, tree limbs, cars, bikes and other runners. In addition, he "sees" the course for Jamie by describing how long the hills are, the grade of the hills, water stops coming up, the mile-markers, splits and then guides him down the finish stretch.

It does take some extra effort and trust to run all out and not see where you are running.

"I also try to coach and encourage Jamie to do the best he can that day," says David. "He is always willing to give that and I'm sure a lot of coaches wish they had an athlete with an attitude like Jamie's."

Swag Hartel, of Swag's Sport Shoes, coaches the speed session at Iroquois High School on Tuesday nights. He has helped Jamie by outfitting him in shoes and inspiring him to keep running. Jamie can always pick out Swag's voice in a crowd because of his British accent.

Jamie is sort of like a rock star. People know him everywhere and yell encouragement, especially in the Visual Impaired Preschool Run, where Jamie was one of the first students to go through the program. He has become somewhat of a spokesman for them, as he is committed to making the best of his life and the cards he was dealt.

It is not unusual for people to approach Jamie and tell him what an inspiration he is to them. One man at the Colgate 5K said he would like to have his own sons come out to run instead of sleeping until noon, as so many kids do.

"I have seen people crying and wiping away tears when he crosses the finish line at races and I have felt goose bumps myself while running with him that surely must be like those felt when a runner enters an Olympic Stadium and charges toward the finish line," says David. "It must be something about the human spirit of not giving up and making the best of what we have.

"Hopefully, I have given Jamie a little advice on running, introduced him to some new friends and helped him enjoy his hobby. I've also discovered that so many times when you help someone, you receive benefits from it in return.

"Jamie has helped me to appreciate and to take in the world around me, using all my senses. To smell the grills cooking as we run by, to feel the breeze and shady area of the track, to taste the sports drink after a hard workout, and to really listen to the sounds and conversations around me. He has also reminded me of the power of a positive attitude in dealing with life."

*David Gassman also contributed to this story.

Cheryl Hart is owner of 2nd Wind, a motivational coaching business with a focus on achieving life goals.  She is also a certified personal fitness specialist and spinning instructor. Cheryl was Kentucky's NCAA Woman of the Year (1993) and National Inspirational Athlete of the Year (1994). She is a member of Team USA, most recently winning silver medals in both the 2004 World Triathlon and World Duathlon.  She was named All-American in triathlon and duathlon (2003 & 2004). Cheryl has a B.A. in English from Centre College, where she served as communications associate, cross-country coach and sports information director.  To contact Cheryl, call 693-7443 or e-mail offrunnin@yahoo.com.