Visually impaired runner to compete in Vancouver Island Mother\u2019s Day 10K<\/p>\n
Published 6:30 pm Saturday, May 9, 2026<\/p>\n
Richard Harlow is virtually blind. <\/p>\n
He lost 90 per cent of his ability to see due to a rare disease known as Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy, which affects somewhere between one in 30,000 to one in 50,000 people in Canada.<\/p>\n
It left him with only peripheral vision, which he uses to get around. <\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t see faces or read signs. I can\u2019t even see past a few feet in front of me because of all my central vision being gone,\u201d said Harlow.<\/p>\n
Harlow still doesn\u2019t consider it a major impediment. The 37-year-old has learned to cope by sharpening his sense of hearing and touch. These have helped him engage in a variety of activities many people would find challenging without eyesight. This includes running.<\/p>\n
Harlow already showed his ability to overcome when he competed in the Bastion 12K run earlier this year without a sighted companion. To aid him, Harlow uses a modified walking stick with a small wheel attached to the end. It has helped increase his mobility.<\/p>\n
His next goal is to compete at the Oceanside Mother\u2019s Day 10K run on Sunday in Qualicum Beach.<\/p>\n
\u201cI virtually listen to my surroundings when I run,\u201d said Harlow. \u201cI listen to where the people are moving, listening to the people in front of me, listening to people behind to understand where the flow of the people.\u201d<\/p>\n
The six-foot carbon-fibre walking stick, which has a wheel at the end, allows him to run with confidence.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt gives me a better understanding of the path in front of me,\u201d Harlow explained. \u201cI can sense when the lifts go down, so I can prepare my body for that slight change in terrain elevation. Otherwise it\u2019s a lot harder on my joints.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harlow\u2019s goal in doing this is to motivate other visually impaired people to achieve more.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to help increase awareness for blind abilities,\u201d said Harlow, noting unemployment rates remain far too high for blind people.<\/p>\n
Harlow, who is an artist and a model, serves on the City of Nanaimo\u2019s Accessibility and Inclusion Committee. He also practices Brazilian jiu-jitsu.<\/p>\n