After starting to lose his eyesight 15 years ago, he wanted to raise money for the Royal National Institute of Blind People by running the Butterfield Half Marathon on 20 September and the London Landmarks Half Marathon next year.
‘I really want to raise a good amount for RNIB but it’s so much more than that.
‘It’s about the inclusivity, the accessibility, getting out and enjoying our island,’ he said.
‘I’ve always been adventurous and active. Visual impairment isn’t going to stop that. You just have to go about things a bit differently.’
He said he had received crucial support from the RNIB for both his eye health and mental health, as well as accessing the charity’s extensive Braille library.
His vision is blurred and patchy, affected heavily by light and contrast levels.
‘I call it “special FX”. The images can be very jumbled and not in the right place. At times I can tell there’s a person standing in front of me but at others, I would completely miss a bus coming towards me.’
He said losing his vision had been challenging.
‘I tried to do things as if I were sighted for a very long time.
‘Once you start to accept it, you find ways to do things that are easier and better, rather than the way you’ve always done them.’
Mr Ellis took up running almost two years ago at a taster session for visually impaired runners.
Now with a roster of around six guide runners, he runs three times a week.
His first race was the Guernsey Marathon in April, which he entered as part of a five-person relay.
‘We were a team of four visually impaired runners, plus one blindfolded journalist, and we each had a different guide on each leg of the race.’
When running, Mr Ellis holds one end of a soft tether, the other end of which is held by his guide.
‘A lot of it is down to trust and communication between the guide and the runner,’ he said.
‘You feel an awful lot through that tether. You can feel the bend of the road and under your feet you’re feeling the camber and different textures of the ground.
‘Processing all of that alongside the verbal directions is quite a mental workout as well, as a physical one.’
He said using the tether feels like ‘freedom’.
‘I can just run into the unknown and know that it’s going to be okay.’
He recently started using smart glasses, which give audio descriptions of his surroundings.
‘I’m still getting used to them but they are such a powerful tool for people with visual impairment, taking some of the mental load off.’
His guide for the upcoming races, Guthrie Steer, said he has learnt a lot in the three months they have trained together.
‘We found initially that my communication was a bit clunky.
‘I’ve learnt from Michael that he doesn’t need to know about every tiny rock or dip in the road, but that a general description and fair warning on speed bumps and other sorts of things will do,’ he said.
‘Over time we’ve got to the point where we can communicate and chat about other stuff interspersed with necessary information.’
To help Mr Ellis with his fundraising goal, visit https://theroyalnationalinstituteofblindpeople.enthuse.com/pf/michael-ellis
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