The do's and don'ts of how to treat disabled runners
Wheelchair racer Steve Montgomery, stroke survivor David Swales, deaf runner Dannii Levi and guide runner Steve Elliott offer their insight
From grabbing wheelchair users to push them along to trying to barge through tethers being used by guide runners, there are plenty of lessons some runners could learn about how to treat disabled athletes.
That’s not to say there aren’t plenty of positive experiences to talk about as well, with some run directors embracing diversity within their events.
Running Tales asked stroke survivor David Swales, guide runner Simon Elliott, deaf runner Dannii Levi and wheelchair racer Steve Montgomery for their do’s and don’ts on how they would like to be treated.
The stroke survivor: David Swales
David Swales’ life changed in April 2016.
Just hours after sprinting to finish a 10km race, he had a stroke.
From having “fuzzy days” to not being able to see properly on his left side, David faces challenges everyday as a result - but it hasn’t stopped him running.
Earlier this year, he completed the Virtual London Marathon for the second time - he has also finished the actual event - and he ran under two hours for a half-marathon for the first time.
He runs with a guide runner over longer distances, but will usually run on his own at parkrun - particularly at a familiar course - or in less busy areas.
These are his dos and don’ts:
Do: Give disabled runners space
“If you know you have got a disabled runner in front of you, whether that be someone who is visually impaired, deaf, or in a wheelchair, give them room,” David said.
“One of the things I find most disturbing when I’m running is people will cut in front of me.
“Because I can’t see everything, if someone comes in from the left in front of me, the first time I see them is when they are right in front of my face.”
David said disabled runners will have often have “a greater radius of personal space”.
“If you saw me run, and saw the number of times when I jump because someone has moved in front from the left, you would understand more - it’s a bit of a shock.
“It’s not that they are necessarily doing anything wrong, but if someone appears four or five feet in front of you it is more palatable than when they are coming three feet in front of you, effectively right in your face.”
Don’t: Barge past
David said he has had people try to barge through between himself and his guide runner - even though there is a tether in the way.
“That happened to me about three or four times in the London Marathon.
“What normally happens is someone tries to get through and then sees and backs off, but one guy kept trying to get through.”
Do: Be aware of people around you
Not everyone who is disabled wants those around them to know about their disability.
David said in an ideal world he would not have a guide runner at all, but added one is often needed not only to keep him safe but for the good of everyone in a race.
That said, he will often run parkrun on his own.
“I don’t need people to know I’m disabled. When you are running, it helps everyone if you are just conscious of how you are around people.
“People might have disabilities, they might have emotional problems, they might have all sorts of issues - so it is about giving people space, not cutting in front of them. It is about being respectful.
“I’ve had people running on my shoulder. I did a half-marathon the other week. I was running and my guide runner was talking to me all the time, particularly early on, about our two hour target.
“Just over a mile in, I was really conscious of someone behind us. I didn’t know it was the same person, there was just always someone behind me.
“It wasn’t until I got the race photos, that I could see the person was actually tailing me the whole time because my guide runner had said we were going to do two hours.
“He had joined in, with her as his pacer - which sounds fine, but because he was tailgating us I was constantly aware of him behind me. It was disconcerting.
“Visually impaired runners tend to be very aware of their surroundings through every other sense. It’s almost like you have a personal radar.
“I hear people’s footsteps and know they are behind me, I hear people breathe.”
Don’t: Assume I’m deaf or stupid
“Because I have a sight impairment, it doesn’t mean I am deaf. That’s probably true of a wheelchair or other disabled runner too.
“But for some reason people think it is appropriate to make comments. I was in a parkrun once, and was being guided, and there was a really narrow stretch over a bridge.
“My guide runner dropped the tether as we couldn’t go along side by side on a single track, and that meant I paused, and I heard the guys behind me say ‘we can’t be beaten by a blind guy’.
“Why they felt it was appropriate even to say that is beyond me, but they said it so loud that even my friend running in front heard them.”
Safe to say, those other runners didn’t beat David: “They weren’t going to after saying stuff like that.”
“Just because someone is disabled doesn’t mean they have every disability and actually they have feelings,” he added.
“Is it a stigma being beaten by a blind person? It felt like I didn’t have a right to beat them, and that they had a right to beat me as they were able-bodied.”
On another occasion David was running - without a guide - with a friend in a forest, when they were approached by two ladies and their five dogs, which were all off the lead.
The dogs ran towards David, whose restricted sight means he can’t see low down.
“I really worried about tripping over them so I stopped,” he said. “I didn’t hear it, but my friend told me the woman said ‘what is he? stupid or something?’”
He said his friend tried to explain the situation, but the women were not understanding.
“I didn’t want to hurt a dog, that was the problem. That’s why I stopped.
“She knew nothing about me, but she made judgements.”
Do: Think before you speak
David said at the start of races, particularly as he is with a guide runner, people will come and talk to him, and ask what happened to him.
He said conversations with other runners are part of what he loves about the sport - but added: “Just because I have a disability don’t treat me any differently.
“Don’t tell me I must be finding it hard. I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t want to.
“Sometimes they will say silly things to me, like ‘you’re too young to have a stroke,’ or ‘you don’t look as if you’ve had a stoke,’ or ‘I know someone who had a stroke - they’re fine’.
“People will also say, ‘Oh, I forget things all the time’ - No, you don’t. You don’t forget to put coffee in a mug when you make coffee, you don’t put your slippers in the dishwasher - which I have done.
“I get confused and don’t know why I have done things.
“I think the best thing I ever did came after I dropped my mobile phone into my aquarium. My sister-in-law said you need to get a freezer bag, put a whole load of rice in there and put it in the airing cupboard so it will dry out and it will be fine in a few days. So I did that, and a few days later she rang to ask how my phone was.
“My wife said, ‘you had better get it out of the airing cupboard’ and I said ‘airing cupboard, I put it in the freezer!’ I had put it into a freezer bag and my mind had said you put a freezer bag in the freezer. So I ruined the phone.
“Those of the sorts of things I would do that others really won’t.”
Don’t: Be condescending
David said one of the most complicated issues centres around how people pay what they think are compliments to disabled runners.
“It’s a really fine line, and sometimes it depends how I’m feeling. It’s about being respectful and not condescending.
“I remember I was running with a guide runner, and he said to me after about eight miles of a ten mile race, ‘everyone who passes us, tells us you are doing great’ and I said, ‘yeah, I find it condescending’.
“You wouldn’t go past an able-bodied runner and say that. It’s not just one or two people, it’s everyone saying ‘well done’ as opposed to people saying ‘great running’.
“That’s more uplifting, but by saying ‘you are doing so well’ it means they are surprised.”
David acknowledged people are genuinely trying to be kind, and that how he feels about such ‘compliments’ may depend on his mood or how well he is running.
“It’s very personal, but it is an example of where a change of emphasis makes a difference.
“Great running can apply to someone able-bodied. It is subtle, but it bugs me at times - though I do understand it comes from a position of caring and trying to support you.”
Don’t: Treat me differently
One of the harder things David has had to deal with since having a stroke is the attitude of people who had been good friends.
“I lost a lot of friends after my stroke. People didn’t know how to talk to me and so they avoided me,” he said.
“In terms of running, I ran before, I run after. Just treat me the same. I am basically the same person.”
One thing he has noticed is that people worry about him when he is running - and he is happy to admit sometimes that is understandable.
He remembers one run where he collapsed while with his guide runner.
Even though he knew the moment would pass, she was “almost beside herself when I was on the floor and I wasn’t able to talk.
“I wasn’t able to stand up. It was really shocking for her.
“But I kept doing thumbs-up saying I was OK, and I had said to her beforehand if I’m having trouble, if I don’t put my thumb up that’s the time to worry.
“I scare people. Things that happen to me scare people, it scares my wife. When I finished the half, I was on my knees, and as soon as a runner is on their knees after a finish you get St John Ambulance crowding round and whatever, but I just give all I’ve got.”
David said the one message he would really like to get across is that he should be treated like any other person.
“I won’t say like normal because no-one is normal, but being treated the way I used to be treated before I had my stroke and no differently from the way you would treat anyone.
“I’m not a freak show, I don’t want people to feel sorry for me - that’s the last thing I want. I don’t want people thinking ‘poor David, he’s had a stroke and he’s struggling’.
“I want you to say, ‘look at David, he’s just ran a half-marathon in two hours’.
“That’s a measure of courage and persistence, and all those things you would admire in any runner, not just one who is disabled. It shouldn’t be any different.
“I did a race as part of a series of five milers around East Anglia and West Suffolk, called the Friday Fives.
“Coming in towards the end of one, I sensed someone coming up quickly. I’ve got this stubborn streak so I upped my pace and I really sprinted and finished quite a bit ahead of them.
“It was someone I knew, and he said ‘David, honestly, as soon as I knew it was you in front of me, I knew I wasn’t going to get past you.’
“But that was a comment was nothing to do with the fact I was disabled, it was a comment runner to runner.
“It’s no different if it is a wheelchair athlete or a guided runner, or a deaf athlete. Actually all you want to be is another runner and not a disabled runner.”
David has written about the ‘Things not to say to a stroke survivor’ on his blog, ‘It doesn’t get easier, you just get stronger’
The deaf runner: Dannii Levi
Since contracting Covid-19, Dannii Levi has become hearing impaired.
Running Tales caught up with Dannii in September for the podcast, after she had completed a half-marathon at Bedford Festival of Running in aid of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.
Dannii wears hearing aids most of the time, but not while she is running.
“I’m not sure if it has changed my running, but when I go out to races I will always have a deaf runner t-shirt on and I have noticed that people actually do try and sign to me,” she said.
“I find there is quite a friendly atmosphere and I have been surprised by how many people know sign language.”
Dannii said people running with dogs can cause problems as she will often struggle to hear them approaching.
“I often cannot hear a dog when they come too close,” she said.
“Most of the time I can hear people’s breathing and footsteps, but I might not necessarily know if they are to my left or my right.”
She said she would encourage people to learn sign language: “Deaf runners may not be able to respond if they are behind you, but if you catch their eye then they will be so happy that you have attempted to acknowledge they are there.”
A word on language
At Running Tales, we are aware that for some the term ‘disabled’ in itself is unwelcome.
Many 'disabled’ athletes do not like being labelled as such, or do not want other people to know about their disability.
Some do not see themselves as disabled even if official definitions may deem they are.
For this article, we have checked with all those taking part if they are happy with the use of disabled as an umbrella term. Though there is a feeling different terms - or none - would be preferable, it was generally agreed it is the best term currently available, particularly as part of an article talking about informing able-bodied runners how they should behave around disabled ones.
That said, if you are offended by any of the terms used in the article - or the way in which they are used - please do let us know by using the comments below. It will help us, and others, to learn - which, after all, is the point of this whole piece.
Thank you.
The wheelchair racer: Steve Montgomery
Steve Montgomery admits he wasn’t a sporty person for most of his life.
But since taking up wheelchair rugby - a journey which has seen the Northampton Saints side he plays for win the WR5s Premiership title - his life has changed.
Steve is now an elite wheelchair racer having taking part in the London Marathon this year.
These are his dos and don’ts:
Do: Be welcoming
Steve said the number one thing able-bodied runners - and those taking part in sport generally - can do for wheelchair athletes is to make them welcome.
He told Running Tales it is important for wheelchair users to embrace the opportunities that are out there.
“The two sports I do, racing and wheelchair rugby, I never thought - going back six or seven years ago - that I would enjoy them as much as I do,” he said.
“It’s really good to try and seek out taster sessions. At most of the sessions I have been to, including other things that I have tried, people have been so friendly.
“It’s such a nice environment - hunt these things down and have a go.”
Steve’s captain at Northampton Saints, Gerry McCrory, agrees.
Gerry, an amputee who has a prosthetic leg, can walk normally in every day life, but plays rugby in a wheelchair.
He said wheelchair athletes “will generally just crack on with what they need to do.
“It’s more for the able-bodied people. They are like, ‘do I help or do I not help, what do I do and what do I not do’?”
“Just treat us as normal,” Steve said. “We are nothing special. We just want to enjoy the race the same as everybody else and be welcomed.”
Don’t: Help when it’s not wanted
Many wheelchair racers have horror stories about how they’ve suddenly found themselves grabbed from behind and pushed along during races or at parkrun.
Such incidents - however well meaning those doing the pushing might be - can be extremely unsettling, as well as insulting for people trying to achieve their own personal goals.
It is always best to ask wheelchair athletes if they need help or not.
For Steve, who has a parkrun personal best of 17.04, it is not such a problem but that hasn’t stopped other runners interfering with his race.
“I’ve not had the chair grab,” he said. “But I did have somebody use me to give them a push start at the start, which was a little bit outrageous.”
Do: Be accommodating
Steve said he has had an overwhelmingly positive reaction from race/run directors, but some smaller events can struggle to know what to do when presented with a wheelchair athlete.
“Generally I’ve not had any issues, particularly with the bigger events. With things like the London Marathon, it’s been really, really easy,” he told Running Tales.
“For some smaller sporting events - some of the local races - there is a little bit of resistance where race directors are not used to wheelchair racers and so there is hesitation.
“But generally most race directors accommodate me and will make a very minor change to a course or to the event.”
He said his local parkrun in Northampton is “a really good example” of a run which has accommodated wheelchair users.
“When I first started at the parkrun, I started at the same time as all the other runners and would get snarled up with them.
“Even though I was a little bit quicker than them overall, initially they would have the advantage over me from the start line.
“Just a very subtle change, to give me a 30 second head start, made all the difference.”
Steve said a “very small briefing” at the start of events is usually enough to let people know he is competing and advise runners to keep to one side if possible so wheelchair racers can get by easily if they need to.
The guide runner: Simon Elliott
Guide runner Simon Elliott has helped visually-impaired runners complete everything from 5km parkruns to marathons, and even cross-country ultras.
He took up the role after his wife volunteered him to help twin girls complete the Daventry parkrun course, but it's become a huge part of his life since then.
These are his dos and don’ts:
Do: Be innovative
Simon said he has seen some really strong examples of how to do things well at races, singling out The Great North Run.
“The Great North Run allows visually impaired runners to start at the front and gives them a couple of minutes head start.
“The most difficult part of any race is that start when it is really busy, and that is even more the case if you are visually impaired.
“It is easier for people to pass visually impaired runners later when it is less crowded.”
He added race organisers need to talk to visually impaired runners to see if they are happy with such a scenario, with some preferring to start at the back for similar reasons.
Simon said such practices could work across all races and even at parkruns.
Don’t: Just grab
Simon said one of the biggest issues for visually impaired and disabled people generally is that able-bodied people, often in an attempt to be helpful, will just grab them and manoeuvre them to where they think they should be.
He pointed to the #justaskdontgrab hashtag on Twitter, which reveals a host of incidents of this type.
“One of the most common mistakes people can do is see someone who appears to have a condition and, for arguments sake, help them across the road even though they are capable of doing it themselves,” he said.
“People will take someone’s arm and drag them over sometimes.
“If you see someone who might need assistance don’t make an assumption. Instead, ask if they need assistance.
“To translate that into running needs, it is the golden rule for guides that the starting point is that you ask people what support they need.
“If they are visually impaired, ask them what vision they have got, and what do they need assistance with.”
Do: Give space
Echoing David Swales’ advice, Simon said giving people space is hugely important.
“It is a little bit like how a car might need to treat a cyclist or a lorry. You are going to give them a lot more space,” he told Running Tales.
“When overtaking a lorry you are mindful that there are manoeuvres that might be less predictable.”
He said visually impaired runners may not be able to see other runners until the last minute, while deaf runners may not hear their approach.
“It’s important to just be aware that they are not going to know you are running alongside them.”
He had particular advice for runners using water stations during races.
“People will cut across trying to get to water stations and they will just assume that other runners can see.
“Not all visually impaired runners have a sign on their front or back, as they might not like to advertise that they are visually impaired.”
And he added that race organisers and those working at water stations should also be mindful about visually impaired runners and their guides.
“Both of us will need a drink, and around water stations visually impaired runners are more likely to take my arm [for extra guidance when it is busy].
“To have someone pass us a drink each may be useful [but our hands might not always be free].
“Again, asking rather than just thrusting a drink in front of someone is important.
“The key is not to grab visually impaired runners. Saying where you are and what you are doing is the answer.
“If you are going past someone in a tight space, let them know you are approaching from behind rather than going straight past.”
Don’t: Marvel at disabled athletes just being there
One of the most common things Simon hears from those he runs with is that people constantly tell visually impaired runners, ‘you are inspiring’.
He said: “I do say to them, ‘yes, but you are! People think of themselves and say. ‘if I was visually impaired I’m not sure I would be going out [at all]’.’
“But people should encourage disabled athletes for what they are doing, not just marvel at the fact they have turned up.”
Simon said the same situation would not happen with a first-time runner or someone who was simply slower for whatever reason.
“I’d always look to give people encouragement,” he said “But you wouldn’t say it to a able-bodied runner at the start of parkrun.
“You wouldn’t say ‘well done for getting here’.
“The part where people want that encouragement is when they are getting towards the end. Understanding how to encourage and not to be condescending, or to go OTT at the start of the race is important.”
A very sensitively written article. It is interesting to see some of the common themes - giving space and the “marvelling that a disabled athlete” has even got to the start line