Marla runyan biography examples
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Legally blind since childhood, Olympic track and field athlete and marathon runner Marla Runyan never let her vision loss stand in the way of her athletic dreams.
Born January 4, 1969 in Santa Maria, California, Runyan is the second child of Valerie and Gary Runyan. At age nine, Runyan developed Stargardt’s Disease, a form of macular degeneration that left her legally blind. She did, however, retain her peripheral vision and could make out shapes and shadows. Her mother found her school books in large print and worked with the Lions Club to obtain a closed circuit television.
After graduating from Adolfo Camarillo High School in 1987, Runyan studied at San Diego State, where she earned a master’s degree in communicative disorders in 1994. She also earned a second master’s degree in special education.
While attending San Diego State, Runyan began competing in several athletic events: the heptathlon, 200-meter dash, high jump, shot put, 100-meter hurdle, long jump, javelin throw
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Golden Future In Sight For Marla Runyan
Marla Runyan didn’t set a world record in the 2000 Olympic Games. in Sydney, Australia, nor did she earn a medal. In fact, she finished eighth in the Women’s 1500 meter final. What she did set, however, was precedence as the first legally blind runner to compete in the Olympics and what she earned was the attention and respect of the world.
Marla’s visual impairment did not make its presence felt during her early childhood, but her athleticism certainly did. Her interest in sports activities started at the tender age of four when she could be found tum bling with the best of her gymnastics peers. At five Marla began swimming and at six she picked up a soccer ball for the first time. Encouraged to succeed from the very beginning. Marla always had the support of her parents.
In the fourth grade a new chapter began in Marla’s life. After learning that she was having a difficult time reading the writing
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Marla Runyan
Marla Runyan is a former world-class American track and field athlete and marathon runner who is legally blind. Diagnosed with Stargardt's Disease as a child, she has been legally blind for over 20 years. After graduating from Adolfo Camarillo High School in 1987, Runyan studied at San Diego State University, where she competed in numerous track and field events including the high jump and heptathlon. In 1994, she graduated with a master's degree in Communicative Disorders and began her post-collegiate running career. She qualified for the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials in the heptathlon, where she finished 10th but fell short of making the Olympic grupp. In 1992, she competed in her first of two Paralympic Games, ultimately winning 5 gold medals and setting 9 world records in the T13 visually impaired classification.
In 1996, Runyan relocated to Eugene, Oregon, and reinvented herself as a middle-distance runner. With a new coach and heightened focus, she won gold in the 1