The world and European marathon champion, Martin Fiz, will run on Sunday, January 28, the EDP Marathon in Seville as a guide for Manuel Garnica, one of Spain's most recognized blind athletes.

It will be the first time that Martin Fiz, ambassador of the platform compartetuenergia.com, uniting blind runners and guides throughout Spain, participates in a race as a guide for one of the users. He will run with Manuel Garnica, a professional blind coach, whose brands and trajectory as an athlete gave him the opportunity to face this new challenge at the hands of Fiz. The challenge is clear and risky: run the test in 1 hour and 14 minutes.

Manuel Garnica is one of the most outstanding Paralympic athletes of the Spanish and international scene: sixth place in the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games; fourth in the 2011 World Championship and fifth in the 2017 London; third in the 2014 European Championship in 1,500 meters; second at 5,000 meters in 2016; and Gold in the Spanish Championship of 1,500 meters in 2016 and 2017.

Retinitis pigmentosa, a visual degenerative disease that he suffered since two years of age, has not diminished his passion for sports. He practiced basketball and handball, until, with nine years of age, the accelerated loss of vision forced him to abandon them. It was then that he decided to start running as an amateur with his father as a guide.

Manuel Garnica comments that "running with Martín Fiz is a dream because I got "hooked" to the marathon seeing the great story that Martín did in the modality. He is the idol of my youth. In addition, Seville is very special to me: I did my minimum to go to the Beijing Paralympic Games of Marathon there and I really want to run again in its streets". He also adds: "The Compartetuenergia.com platform is allowing me to get guides this year so to continue competing and training. It's a great initiative. "

For the world and European marathon champion, Martin Fiz, this race will also be very special: "I think it's a challenge that I'm going to live intensely, because I'm going to run a long distance with Manuel Garnica, a person of high quality sports. It seems to me that Manuel is going to give a great example of how barriers can be broken. He will run with one sense less while enhancing many other things. It's an example to follow". He adds: "The EDP Marathon in Seville is a good race, very flat, perfect for the purpose of making a great mark. As the song says, Seville has a special color, the circuit is full and people are very encouraging, I really want to live it".

This sporting event in Seville will also include four other pairs of blind runners and guides from different parts of Spain, who have come together to train and compete, thanks to the platform compartetuenergia.com. They are an example of the more than 2,000 people registered in Comparte Tu Energía (Share Your Energy) in Spain, since EDP ched this initiative, in collaboration with ONCE and the Spanish Federation of Sports for the Blind (FEDC).
Compartetuenergia.com
The "Share Your Energy" platform unites people who are blind or severely visually impaired with runners who act as guides, either to train or to participate in races.

After the success in Spain, where in just 6 months more than 2,000 people signed up, Compartetuenergia.com added its latest novelty, the possibility that runners from anywhere in the world can sign up. This improvement responds to the interest shown by runners from other countries such as the United Kingdom or Argentina, who got to know the initiative and asked for it to be extended to their countries. The objective is to raise awareness in society so that all people can enjoy sports without any type of barrier.

The online platform is accessible in Spanish and English, is totally innovative and technological, and is adapted to be used by blind people. The recognition technology allows to identify that the user has his eyes closed and offers guidelines and tutorials so that the different profiles of racers are selected.