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The next time you are trying to find your running inspiration, think about David Brown and Jerome Avery. Sprinter David Brown is currently the world record holder for the T11 200-meter sprint and until September, also held the record for the fastest 100-meter sprint. In short, David Brown is the fastest blind man in the world.
Some say that Paralympic sprinting is the fastest three-legged race you'll ever watch. Par-athletes like Brown line up on the starting blocks beside their guide and both take off in sync and run the entire race in tandem. While their legs are not literally tied together - though they are tethered by a small rope around their fingers - these athletes are so in sync with each other that every stride matches step-for-step.
Brown runs in the T11 Paralympic category which denotes athletes who are totally blind or nearly totally blind. Before he was two, Brown was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, the complications of which led to complete blindness by age 13. While this meant he had to pivot his focus, Brown never lost his will to compete. He won an essay contest to attend the 2008 Paralympic Games and decided he would do whatever he could do to compete in those games in the future. He fulfilled his goal at the very next Paralympic Games in 2012.
Since 2014, David Brown and Jerome Avery have made up the legendary duo fondly known as "Team BrAvery.: In the 2016 Paralympic Games, they took home the gold medal for the 100-meter sprint. Watch their gold medal-winning sprint here!
On their journey to defending their status and capturing another gold medal, the world shut down due to Covid-19 which meant Brown was forced to continue his training away from his guide. Brown depends on his guide for direction by touch and tugs on the rope shared between the two of them, so synchronicity is paramount - especially when the medal standings could be decided by tenths and hundredths of seconds. Unfortunately, an injury sidelined Avery for the 2020 Paralympics, forcing Brown to run with a different guide.
A good guide is hard to find! The synchronization is so important to these races, that the best guide runner for each athlete matches them in speed, stride, and drive. Being a sprinter’s guide is an inherently selfless commitment. The guides train daily to match their sprinter's strides and times rather than for their own competitions. They commit to stringent diets and taxing training regiments so they can be the sidekick in the duo. This is also why the perfect partnership can be a diamond in the rough and why Brown and Avery are so inspirational.
Team BrAvery is such a genuine example of all the things we can accomplish when we’re competing to complete a goal, but also how far we can go when we help to push each other toward success. Brown and Avery are a team in every sense of the word. They see the greatness in each other and use their partnership to become something bigger, together.
To learn more about the U.S. Paralympic Team and lend your support to some of these amazing athletes, check out their page here!
For more ways to Run It Forward, check out our Virtual Races - each registration supports a great cause!