Sarah Stephenson-hunter is a blind, trans woman who works as an activist and public speaker, delivering talks on diversity and inclusion. At parkrun Sarah has found a safe, inclusive space – and she would love others to find it too. She also wants to encourage more parkrun regulars to give guiding a go – whether that is walking or running – as it can be hugely rewarding for everyone.
Take it away Sarah…
As a child, I was never encouraged to do exercise because of my arthritis and visual impairment. In fact, I wasn’t even allowed to do PE at school. So I never thought that fitness and exercise was for me. I never saw running as something that I could do. Running was for really fit, scary people! But when I was working at the University of Nottingham, they organised a Couch-to-5k event and I went along.
I’ll be honest, I loved it – and I hated it. I loved being able to just get outside and run, to do stuff that other people could. But I hated the fact that I had to rely on someone as a guide, that I couldn’t just get up, put the trainers on and get involved like other people. But I kept going.
Couch to 5k was a beginners’ course and so naturally I wondered, what’s next? Somebody said, “parkrun!” The next thing I knew, I found myself doing Beeston parkrun in Nottingham and I loved it: I loved the community and the encouragement I got. I had a guide, but there were people with buggies, fast runners, slow runners, walkers… It all just felt incredibly inclusive and affirming to be there.
I’ve been disabled all my life, then I came out as trans around 11 years ago. As a trans person, I have to navigate a world that is still trying to understand what it means to be different. Sometimes being blind has felt like a shield of protection for my trans identity. It is always the first thing people notice: a blind woman first, a trans woman second. My blindness is my biggest barrier in everyday life, but being trans does always come into it.
parkrun really is an inclusive, safe space – which is really important for disabled people and also for the LGBTQIA+ community. Being blind, you have to have a certain level of trust in the person guiding you. But to go somewhere and be your authentic self, you have to have faith in people to accept you too.
I’ve lived my life being told I can’t do things and I’ve made a choice to do my best to prove people wrong. Obviously, that takes personal resilience. But it also takes education and empowering others, understanding barriers and working together to remove them. I don’t want anything to get in the way of people getting out and enjoying the freedom that parkrun can bring – whether that’s walking, running or volunteering.
I was lucky in Nottingham as it seemed to be a real hub of both blind runners and guide runners. It’s been very different since I’ve moved to Oxford, where it’s been a struggle to find someone to run with. Having a good guide is so important. Ideally, the guide would be a bit fitter than the person they are guiding, so that they can comfortably focus on leading the way. Guides also need a good partnership with the blind runner, to set and achieve goals together.
When it comes to finding a guide runner, as long as someone is relaxed, supportive and establishes a level of trust, you can’t go too far wrong. A good sense of humour also helps, as things can sometimes go a bit awry to begin with! I have a treadmill at home, where I can control the environment. But outside, you are on different terrains and also have other people to contend with. And there are so many different variables – every time my foot lands, I’m not 100 percent sure what I’m going to land on. A guide is there to tell me that there’s a pothole coming up, or that I’m about to run on grass. But they can’t control every footstep, of course. With a guide, I can get outside and run. But if I haven’t got a guide, I can’t. And I really can’t overstate the power of being able to be active outdoors, to be there on a Saturday morning whatever the weather.
In 2023, I met Emmy at Pride. We became friends and she guides for me when she can. Next year we are going to do the London Marathon together for Stonewall. Through my own experience and through my professional work, I really wanted to help break down barriers. My key message is that I want anybody, regardless of who they are, to be able to achieve their full potential, whatever that is for them. It’s about community. It’s about getting active.
It’s about being out there. It’s about inclusion. I may have said it before, but I really want to hammer home the point: parkrun is for everybody!
