Blind Briton to run marathon using high-tech glasses to help him 'see' in world-first achievement

James Saunders
Thu, 02 Apr 2026 01:07:17 +0000

A blind man is thought to be attempting a world first by completing a marathon by using high-tech glasses to help him see.

Clarke Reynolds, a Braille artist known as Mr Dot, plans to run the Brighton Marathon wearing "AI glasses" linked to the Be My Eyes app.

The app connects visually impaired users with volunteers worldwide who help with everyday tasks like locating household items or selecting groceries.

The 45-year-old from Portsmouth intends to become the first person to use this technology to complete the endurance race.

He is running for the Fight for Sight charity.

Mr Reynolds has the inherited condition Retinitis Pigmentosa, which he describes as seeing shadows and shapes, similar to looking underwater.

The charity ambassador hopes his challenge will help combat stigma around blindness.

"When I got these glasses and the app, I was thinking: what could I do to push the boundaries of what this technology could do for the blind community?" he said.

"And I thought, you know what, let's run a marathon again with complete strangers in my ear holes."

He added: "By doing these things and saying I'm not amazing, I'm not a superhero. I'm just like you, just, I found a workaround so that I could do a marathon, and it's just a new way of living my life."

Mr Reynolds has trained with more than 100 volunteers from around the globe, including a woman from Virginia in the US, a Scottish woman holidaying in Thailand, and a retired Canadian naval officer.

The volunteers view his surroundings through the glasses and alert him to obstacles like bins or parked cars.

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He previously ran the London Marathon with a physical guide - but found it difficult due to mismatched stride patterns and scheduling challenges.

Running remotely-guided laps of 0.8 miles near his home has proved far easier.

On race day, Fight for Sight is arranging volunteers including family, friends and potentially "unexpected celebrities" to help him finish within six hours.

The 45-year-old also raises awareness through his Braille art, which he describes as "fun and playful".

He has staged solo exhibitions from America to India and is planning an art installation next year featuring a shop with everything in Braille.

"It's going to be my Tracey Emin moment," he said.

His fundraising target has risen from £750 to £2,000 following donations from Be My Eyes and TV presenter Victoria Coren Mitchell, who contributed £250.

He said his art is still viewed "as a hobby" because of his blindness, adding: "That needs to change."

"I want to inspire the next generation of visually impaired children growing up that they've got a world that they can thrive in, it doesn't matter if they can't see it, they're part of the fabric of society."