No Finish Line: my life as I see it.Marla Runyan Marla Runyan, born January 4, 1969 in Santa Maria, California, is a marathon runner who is legally blind. After graduating from Camarillo High School in 1987, Ruyan went on to study at San Diego State University, where she began competing in several sporting events: the with Sally Jenkins. 2001. Read by Emily Schirner. 6 tapes, 9 hrs. Brilliance. 1-58788-758-4. $69.25. Vinyl binder; content notes. SA As a young woman who is legally blind, Runyan is often asked, what can you see? To begin her story, she answers that question thoroughly. At about the age of nine, she developed Stargardt's Disease Stargardt's disease A hereditary condition characterized by progressive retinal degeneration, due to a defect on chromosome 1; SD is similar to age-related macular degeneration. See Macular degeneration. , a type of macular degeneration macular degeneration, eye disorder causing loss of central vision. The affected area, the macula, lies at the back of the retina and is the part that produces the sharpest vision. that blocks her sight straight ahead but leaves her with some peripheral vision peripheral vision n. Vision produced by light rays falling on areas of the retina beyond the macula. Also called indirect vision. Peripheral vision . Runyan, supported by parents who set no limits on what they would do to assist her, determined to live in the world of the sighted. She tells of getting an education through college, and finding great fulfillment and freedom in running. Everything she does is far more difficult than it is for others, but she endures. A trainer whose students have done well in the Olympics accepted her as a student. She has excelled in the heptathlon heptathlon: see under decathlon. heptathlon Women's athletics competition. Contestants take part in seven different track-and-field events: 100-m hurdles, shot put, high jump, long jump, javelin throw, and 200- and 800-m runs. 800, in which she won the American record; she qualified for the U.S. Olympic team in 2000 and finished higher in that event than any American has done before her. In her personal life, she has made the transition from living with her parents to living with a man. Schirner's voice is light and enthusiastic. An excellent choice for listeners who like stories about overcoming handicaps or who like to read about Olympics participants, sports success or personal achievement. Edna M. Boardman, Minot, ND |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion