If there was a medal for being a good boy, Gus, a 7-year-old guide dog, would surely have won it by now.
But on March 17, the jolly yellow Lab prone to whole-body tail wagging will get an actual medal for completing the New York City Half Marathon — the first long-distance race to ever permit the use of guide dogs for runners who are blind.
Gus and four of his buddies at Guiding Eyes for the Blind — Yukon, Lynx, Westley and Waffle — spent the last three years preparing for the race, which will be run by Gus’ longtime owner and CEO of the school, Thomas Panek. The dogs will take turns, about 5 miles at a time, maneuvering through the twists and turns of the course for Panek.
The program is the only one in the world that trains guide dogs to help blind runners, making it possible for runners like Panek to compete without the use of a human guide — an important service, Panek says, but one that doesn’t afford much independence.
“If you’re an athlete or just someone who aspires to run, [and you’re blind], we can do that now,” says Panek, who’s run 20 marathons with human guides. “It’s another one of those things where no matter what your challenge is, don’t let anyone tell you [that] you can’t.”
Panek, 48, was a runner throughout his teens. But when he gradually started losing his vision in his 20s due to a rare genetic condition, he stopped running, and a lot of things for that matter.
“I didn’t even feel safe enough to cross the street,” he says.
When he was 26, he got his first guide dog — the same day he met his wife. “Having that guide dog gave me the confidence to fall in love, get a job, have children,” the father of four who now lives in South Salem, NY, says.
Previously, the conventional wisdom was that guide dogs couldn’t do their work while running, or that all the running would push them beyond their limits. But that didn’t track for Panek: “When I’d go out to run, I’d have to leave Gus behind. I could tell he wanted to go too, like, ‘This is the fun part!’ ”
About four years ago, Panek and Guiding Eyes for the Blind began their running program by looking for dogs in the program — there are 175 this year — who would be good candidates. Each year since, there have been five to 10 dogs selected per graduating class.
“You probably don’t want the dog who wants to cuddle by the fireplace as your running guide, but there are some dogs who just love to run,” he says.
Take Westley, a large, exuberant Lab who lets you know when he’s on the track, Panek says. “He’s got a lot of mass. It’s the momentum that keeps him going forward. But he just loves to move.” Westley may be running second during the half marathon, if Yukon “a cautious, thoughtful” yellow Lab, isn’t feeling up for it, Panek says.
That’s also where Waffle comes in. The female yellow Lab will be on standby if any of the dogs aren’t in the mood to run. “Like anyone on the bench, they’re equally loved but they don’t necessarily get to play in the game all the time,” Panek says.
Each dog, which can be sponsored at GuidingEyes.org, runs no more than 6 miles, and there’s a hydration station and a vet to make sure the pooches stay healthy. Plus, they set the pace. For dogs like Lynx, whom Panek expects to start the half marathon with him, that could mean running as fast as a 6-minute mile. “We call him the fast and furriest,” Panek says. “I have to put in the full effort to keep up with him.”
Gus will finish the race with Panek — and finish his tenure as a guide dog. After four years of being his lifeline, Gus will retire. That’s one of the reasons why the half marathon will be so emotional for Panek, he says.
“Guide dogs also need a chance to just be a dog, play ball and relax,” Panek says. “So it’s that time for Gus, and we thought [the race] would be a really wonderful way to celebrate his work.”
Another reason it’ll be emotional for Panek is what it represents for him and others in the blind community. Using guide dogs instead of human guides means he’s been able to go jogging whenever he wants. When his two sons ran their first 5K and when his wife ran her first 5-mile race last year, bringing Gus meant he could focus on coaching them.
“For once I didn’t have to rely on someone else,” he says. “I could help someone.”