RICHMOND, Va. β Matthew Reed ran his first marathon over 30 years ago in his native Minnesota. It was called Grandma's Marathon along the shores of Lake Superior, but they didn't necessarily treat runners like family.
"They basically load everyone in buses, drive you out 25 and a half miles, and you run along the Superior shoreline," Reed said. "We're dropping you here and in 25 and a half miles, you'll be back in the city."
But even that didn't diminish his passion for running.
He stopped for a much more serious reason.
Reed served in the U.S. Army and spent two years in Afghanistan.
After returning from overseas he began losing his eyesight.
"It's service connected. So I came back from Afghanistan in 2007 and in 2011 I started to notice my left eye was getting fuzzy," he said. "I went out to the qualification range and couldn't qualify with my pistol anymore, which was strange."
Reed continued running and finished the Disney Marathon in 2012, but had lost sight in his left eye.
Six years later, the right eye lost sight.
Doctors can't give him a reason why.
"My VA rating literally says unspecified eye disorder," he said.
Reed lost the ability to do so much of what he knew and loved.
He considered himself an active person, all of which came to a halt when he lost his eyesight.
"I stopped running as I was losing my vision. I stopped doing basically all sports I love doing over the years and it was rough. It was very rough," he said.
Part of Reed's therapy involved adaptive sports which showed him there was more than one way to stay active.
He met a fellow veteran who had lost his ability to walk and talk but managed to give Reed some advice that still motivates him today.
"I realized to quit focusing on what I cannot do and start focusing on what I still can do," Reed said. "So through the adaptive sports and the rec therapy and Sportable and all of my friends who participate with me in different sporting activities, now, I've learned to focus on what I still can do, and not surprisingly, it's still a lot."
With the help of the folks at Sportable, Reed got back into his active lifestyle, not without some changes to his routine.
"If I'm training on a treadmill. I have to have my hands on the treadmill at all times. A few weeks ago, I actually shot off the treadmill because I let go, but I landed, did a perfect 10," he said with a laugh. "Then got right back on and kept training."
He ran the Monument Avenue 10K two years ago and for the first time since Disney 13 years ago he will run a marathon here in Richmond with the help of a guide runner tethered to his wrist helping him avoid tripping over hazards that come with road races.
For many who will run the Richmond Marathon this year, it's the culmination of weeks and months of training and perhaps the completion of a long-held goal.
For Matthew Reed, it will signal a personal transformation he may not have thought possible just a few years ago.
"I was in a pretty low place five years ago and thanks to being able to get back into all these sports and re-engage with family and friends and things outside of the house, it's just a world of difference. I feel so much better," he said. "There are so many organizations around Richmond that work with folks who need adaptive support through sports, and also for people who are just thinking, well, maybe I can do that. Just I challenge all of you, get up and get out and do it."
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