Alice Lim Guides Blind Runners Along Blackstone Boulevard

You don’t need sight to see possibilities and Alice Lim proves this. Two days a week she meets with a small group of blind athletes to run Blackstone Boulevard. She guides them by describing the terrain and warning about bumps, turns or hills. It may sound difficult, but the athletes are great runners despite being unable to see the path and she trains them for races to prove it. The real challenge is finding volunteers to help her. The athletes’ safety relies on careful attention to the path, requiring each athlete to have two people guiding them. Without enough volunteers she has been forced to turn down some athletes.

Lim is a member of the non-profit organization Achilles International, which was created by Dick Traum, the first amputee to run the New York City Marathon. His experience brought a sense of achievement and self-esteem that he wanted to share with others like himself. Today the organization has chapters in over 65 locations and Lim is hoping Providence will be one of them.

A New York native, Lim joined the NYC chapter back in 2009 and has been guiding athletes to the finish line ever since. Residing in Providence for graduate school, she refuses to stop participating and has begun a chapter here. She was drawn to the organization by the courage shown in athletes with physical disabilities who trained themselves to run races alongside people without any.

“I don’t see blindness as a disability,” says Lim, explaining how sometimes the athletes are faster than her. One thing she has learned is that the organization doesn’t just help blind athletes but also the guides. It creates goals and challenges for both the volunteers and athletes, while also creating bonds with inspiring people. “It fosters a really cool spirit that’s not attainable elsewhere,” she says.

For more information, contact Lim at AchillesProvidence@gmail.com