Thierry Thomas and Marc Wallach participated in their second Prom’Classic on Sunday. This duo, however, is not ordinary: Thierry’s eyes are Marc!
Thierry Thomas and Marc Wallach met through A.N.I.C.E.S. Marc, 27, approached the association saying: “I called to see if they needed a guide for someone visually impaired.” The young man had already practiced athletics in a duo: “I started in college with a visually impaired friend and found it much more enjoyable to run together than alone.” Thierry Thomas joined a few months later, and in November 2010, a rather charming tandem was formed.
In the pack
At 47, Thierry is suffering from a disease that gradually causes him to lose his sight. Today, the municipal police officer can still distinguish colors: “We’re not connected, Marc guides me with his voice. He talks to me a lot and, above all, he motivates me, which is really important.” And in the pack, the runners aren’t always gentle with each other. “On Thierry’s jersey, it says he is visually impaired, so people are a bit more careful when passing us,” Marc notes.
This year, the mixed start for men and women was a real advantage for them at the Prom’Classic: “It was better than last year because in 2011, the women started 3km ahead. The problem is that overtaking slower runners isn’t very easy for us,” explains Thierry.
Times and training
These 10km were important because Thierry is recovering from an injury. A knee sprain kept him off the road for 3 months. The 44’45” on Sunday is a good restart, but the two men want to lower their time to 40 minutes. For this, they train twice a week. Since Marc cannot be available for every training session, Thierry has found a solution: “I make arrangements with Mobil’Azur and go running with ASPTT Nice at Charles Ehrmann, under the direction of Raymond Sanchez.” During those evenings, he doesn’t have a guide, but it’s not an issue: “We always run on the same course, and there’s always someone in the group who goes at my pace!”
The French Championships
Now that the Prom’Classic has passed, the duo from Nice is aiming for the French Para-Athletics 10km Road Championship. The agenda for the two athletes is quite packed: “We’ll do a lot of things this year: half-marathons, aquathlons, the ascent of Col de Vence… but we’ll see what comes after the French Championship!” announces Thierry.
