{"id":38444,"date":"2018-09-18T08:02:03","date_gmt":"2018-09-18T15:02:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=38444"},"modified":"2021-06-03T14:51:03","modified_gmt":"2021-06-03T21:51:03","slug":"the-app-helping-runners-who-are-visually-impaired-find-their-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/run\/the-app-helping-runners-who-are-visually-impaired-find-their-way","title":{"rendered":"The App That Helps Runners Who Are Visually Impaired Find Their Way"},"content":{"rendered":"

In late August, a 35-year-old Google employee named Will Barkan ran the Tamalpa Headlands 50K, a trail ultramarathon in Sausalito, California, just north of San Francisco. It was Barkan\u2019s third time running that race, but this time, he was able to run it on his own, without a guide.<\/span><\/p>\n

When Barkan was 10, he was diagnosed with <\/span>Stargardt\u2019s disease, a genetic retinal disorder<\/span> that leads to the loss of central vision, the part of his sight that enables him to focus straight ahead. Barkan gets around without a cane or guide, but when he\u2019s running in big crowds, at night or for longer distances, he needs assistance. \u201cWhen you start running more than 50 miles, you need to run in the dark. That\u2019s when I started using guides,\u201d Barkan said.<\/span><\/p>\n

But then, someone in his running group suggested an app called <\/span>RunGo<\/span><\/a>, which has pre-programmed running routes and gives audio cues from your phone or watch announcing turns, junctions and other landmarks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Last February, Barkan ran his first 100K distance, the <\/span>Ordnance 100K in Salinas, California, mostly on his own using the app (he did use <\/span>two guides during periods of darkness)<\/span>. <\/span>He jokingly calls his phone a \u201crobot pacer\u201d and says with help from the app, he\u2019s <\/span>saved sighted runners more than once when they\u2019ve gone off course or missed a flag. \u201cThe biggest difference with the app is that I can run independently,\u201d he <\/span>said<\/span>. \u201cIt tells me if I\u2019m off course and any upcoming turns. Now I run solo under most conditions. That hasn\u2019t always been the case where I\u2019ve had that level of confidence.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When Craig Slagel launched RunGo in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2014, he had no idea he\u2019d eventually help runners who are visually impaired like Barkan. That was an unintentional side effect. Slagel, who\u2019s originally from London, England, was working in the visual effects industry for Hollywood movies, living in Canada and traveling a ton. When he\u2019d go running in foreign cities, he\u2019d often get lost. Once, while on a business trip to Tokyo, he set out on what he hoped would be an hour-long run with a map provided by his hotel. Two hours later, he was lost and late for his morning meeting. (He admits he doesn\u2019t have a great sense of direction.)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d spend all this time trying to figure out a route, memorize it and still get lost anyway,\u201d Slagel <\/span>said<\/span>. \u201cI just wanted to go and run. I was an early adopter of car GPS systems and I thought, there should be something like this for running, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

So he built a first-of-its-kind hands-free app with turn-by-turn voice navigation, designed for runners. <\/span>RunGo works offline, if routes are downloaded ahead of time, and like other fitness apps, it tracks time, distance, pace, elevation and calories burned, plus it can give speech updates on distance and pace<\/span> and runners can add custom audio messages. Picture being near the end of your run and your phone telling you to pick up the pace for the final stretch or sharing insight on local landmarks or spots to grab water.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

The RunGo app works on your phone or watch and tells you directions on pre-programmed running routes. (Photo Credit: RunGo)<\/p><\/div>\n

When Slagel adopted a retired guide dog named Dynasty, he realized, maybe his app could be useful for other groups of people, too. \u201cI built the app more for myself, so I wouldn\u2019t get lost while traveling, but I realized it could be beneficial to visually impaired runners as well,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, RunGo has more than 100,000 trail and road routes around the world, and Slagel is now working on a second version of the app designed for multipurpose use, like biking and hiking.<\/span><\/p>\n

Runners like Rhonda-Marie Parke, from Kitchener<\/span>, Ontario<\/span>, are grateful. Parke, who\u2019s legally blind with about eight percent vision, started running 10 years ago. A few years later, she decided to try ultramarathon distances, mainly with guides to help her navigate.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Rhonda-Marie Parke<\/span> running the Vol State ultramarathon.<\/p><\/div>\n

In July, Parke ran 314 miles across Tennessee to complete the Vol State ultramarathon to celebrate her 40<\/span>th<\/span> birthday. She had a support crew but ran most of the course entirely on her own, with help from the RunGo app. Her crew also programmed the app to give her personal messages along the route, like when there was a gas station nearby in case she needed a bathroom break and when the church where she\u2019d be spending the night was coming up on her left.<\/span><\/p>\n

She says at times, she had a conflicting relationship with the device, but overall, it gave her independence. \u201c<\/span>Take your car GPS on a route you don\u2019t know and try not to swear at it,\u201d Parke <\/span>said<\/span>. \u201cBy the end, me and my RunGo were having some pretty interesting conversations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In late August, a 35-year-old Google employee named Will Barkan ran the Tamalpa Headlands 50K, a trail ultramarathon in Sausalito, California, just north of San Francisco. It was Barkan\u2019s third time running that race, but this time, he was able to run it on his own, without a guide. When Barkan was 10, he was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":38450,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[1866,727,1376],"internal-tag":[1682],"class_list":["post-38444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-run","tag-inclusion","tag-latest-posts","tag-running","internal-tag-pre-redirect-running"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/run\/the-app-helping-runners-who-are-visually-impaired-find-their-way","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"The App That Helps Runners Who Are Visually Impaired Find Their Way","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/run\/the-app-helping-runners-who-are-visually-impaired-find-their-way","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/run\/the-app-helping-runners-who-are-visually-impaired-find-their-way"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/09\/Parke-1-1.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/09\/Parke-1-1.jpg?fit=1194%2C623"},"articleSection":"Run","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Flandreau"}],"creator":["Michelle Flandreau"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["inclusion","latest posts","running"],"dateCreated":"2018-09-18T15:02:03Z","datePublished":"2018-09-18T15:02:03Z","dateModified":"2021-06-03T21:51:03Z"},"rendered":"