How does a blind person train for a marathon?

A blind Royal Navy veteran who is running the London Marathon this weekend has trained by running hundreds of laps around the same park.

Wayne Pope, 45, from Bridgwater, is having to do three laps and a length to cover a mile in his local park because it is the only place he can train without a guide.

Pope's degenerative condition is known as retinitis pigmentosa, which worsens his vision over time. It means he cannot see what is coming towards him so he prefers to run familiar routes.

He said he was "buzzing" with excitement about getting the marathon under way on Sunday.

Pope said his biggest obstacles were dog walkers and electric scooters and having to be constantly vigilant could be exhausting.

"My brain has to work a lot harder so that uses more energy," he said.

"I have to fight for those senses that others take for granted so it takes more energy and I have to concentrate harder."

Pope served on board HMS Chatham and HMS Monmouth in his four-and-a-half years of service and he was diagnosed with his condition in 2022.

He started running in 2024, to train for the Worthing 10k in 2025, which he said completely changed his life.

Since then he said he had noticed how his view had become "smaller and more fatigued".

He said: "I try not to think about what it's doing and I just run on."

However, he said he was "really looking forward" to running the iconic race in London with his guide.

"My guide is going to be looking out for runners going past me," he said.

"I can sense those steps but I could easily trip.

"There's going to be so much going on so my guide is going to be my second pair of eyes."

Richard Phinbow, from Blind Veterans UK, said: "Running a marathon is a huge achievement for anyone and sight loss brings additional challenges to this.

"Wayne can't just put on his trainers and go for a run like you or I could.

"He needs to carefully plan his training routes to make sure they provide a safe environment.

"Wayne is an inspiration to his fellow blind veterans and we are incredibly proud of his journey so far."

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