A Christchurch brother and sister are set to take on the Wellington round the bays half marathon next weekend, but if that’s not hard enough, both of them are partially blind.
Mike and Nicola Asmussen are joining the ever growing team of disabled athletes conquering their goals with the help of the Achilles foundation.
The foundation pairs disabled athletes with guides; to help conquer what they once thought was impossible.
Ms Asmussen says she didn’t believe she would ever be able to run.
"I said, 'no I'm a walker, that's all I can achieve, that's all I can do.'"
However, after walking her first marathon, Ms Asmussen said she wanted to give running a go.
"The freedom getting out there and doing something I didn't think I could do and now I know I can it’s amazing," she says.
Her brother says he's seen a huge improvement in his mental health since he started running with the Achilles foundation.
"It gave me a different focus, instead of worrying about the past it gives you something to work towards."
He says running has given him "a life without limits" and says everyone should run as fast they can for as long as they can.
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