HAVING taken up running in Jersey after losing his sight and being registered blind, Shadat Khan has continued to break new ground with his exploits as he seeks to help others with impaired sight.
The 55-year-old, who lived in Jersey for three years, recently completed a 95-mile run along the length of the Buckinghamshire Way, which stretches from the original southern-most and northern-most points of the historic English county.
Mr Khan completed the route in 34 hours with the support of ten guide runners and a nine-person support crew, in the process raising funds to buy white canes for children at a school in his native Zimbabwe.
The trigger to start running came during Mr Khan’s time in Jersey when his sight deteriorated rapidly over a two-week period and he was diagnosed with the genetic condition retinitis pigmentosa.
Suffering mental health problems as a result of the sight-loss, Mr Khan was encouraged to take part in Jersey Parkrun and gradually became hooked.
“Looking back I feel I was fortunate this happened in Jersey,as there was real care shown to me by the community – I fell in love with the sport and have met a lot of people along the way,” he said.
Since leaving the Island and moving to England, Mr Khan has expanded his repertoire to include marathons and ultra-marathons alongside regular weekly Parkruns. He explained the motivation for the most recent challenge in his “Sha Goes Far” series.
“There’s a school in Zimbabwe with 450 children who are blind or partially-sighted,” he said. “None of the pupils have white canes, they get to school as best they can by holding hands with others or feeling their way.
“My aim is to collect as many canes as possible in time for a trip home at the end of the year, so that I can distribute them – the canes only cost around £10, but they make a huge difference.”
Links to the fundraising initiative are available via the ShaGoesFar pages on Facebook and Instagram.
