{"id":11212,"date":"2015-10-22T16:55:24","date_gmt":"2015-10-22T21:55:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fertur-travel.com\/blog\/?p=11212"},"modified":"2018-09-26T10:51:34","modified_gmt":"2018-09-26T15:51:34","slug":"inca-trail-challenge-redefined-by-blind-athlete","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fertur-travel.com\/blog\/2015\/inca-trail-challenge-redefined-by-blind-athlete\/11212\/","title":{"rendered":"Inca Trail challenge redefined by blind athlete"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the category of irresistibly inspiring and uplifting: Dan Berlin, a 45-year-old, legally blind athlete from Colorado, ran the 26-mile Inca Trail to Machu Picchu<\/a> in a day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

He is the first blind person to run, not hike, South America’s most famous\u00a0ancient mountain route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ascending to the 13,779-foot Warmihua\u00f1usca “Dead Woman\u2019s” Pass, transversing treacherous\u00a0ledges next to vertical abysses, and descending thousands of steep\u00a0Inca stone steps to the Machu Picchu Sun Gate is a rigorous four-day affair for most people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Berlin, who lost his sight completely to cone rod dystrophy 10 years ago, did it nonstop in 13 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working with a small non-profit outfit of specialty guides called Team See Possibilities<\/a>, Berlin\u00a0set out before dawn on the morning of Oct. 14. They arrived at Machu Picchu’s\u00a0Inti Punku just before dusk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We’re labeled with limitations, but you don\u2019t have to be defined by them,” Berlin told the\u00a0Summit Daily of Colorado<\/a>\u00a0a week before embarking on his trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“My barrier is pretty obvious \u2014 I\u2019m bind. But a lot of my barriers have nothing to do with eyesight,” he said. “A barrier might be something that I’ve done before, something that a blind person hasn’t done before, but we have to keep facing it down. We grow and we challenge ourselves.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The expedition was sponsored by the international tour company Intrepid Travel<\/a>, Altra Running, Smartwool and UNICEF. The purpose is\u00a0to\u00a0raise money for the Blind Institute of Technology <\/a>and to help UNICEF<\/a> encourage children with disabilities to participate in sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of this writing, Dan Berlin and Team See Possibilities have\u00a0collected $3,989 of their\u00a0fund-raising goal of $10,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Go ahead and give $25 or $50 or $100… I\u00a0did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DONATE<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

100% of donations are being split between:<\/p>\n\n\n\n