Posted: April 12, 2005

Athletics: Henry Wanyoike - Conquering Disability And The World

Henry Wanyoike will be running this Sunday's London Marathon in total darkness as he raises awareness about the capabilities of disabled road runners. A goodwill Ambassador for Standard Chartered Bank and founder of the Standard Chartered Greatest Race on Earth Marathon series, Henry has become the world's finest sight-impaired runner.

Henry went to bed as usual after dinner on the last day of April 1995. He awoke the following day totally blind and has never seen anything again. It is this background that puts Henry's extraordinary achievements into context. Nine years on, Henry is an Olympic gold medallist and a world-trotting Goodwill Ambassador for the Standard Chartered Bank 'Seeing is Believing' global campaign that aims to restore sight to a million people.

"I cannot adequately express my gratitude to Standard Chartered Bank for what they have done for me over the last years," he says. "They have given me new confidence to face my situation and exploit my potential as no other organization has done for me."

Henry and Joseph Kibunja, his running partner, won the gold medal in the 5,000 meters for the visually-impaired at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, making history as the first African ever to win an Olympic gold medal in that category. He then won gold in both the 5,000m and 10,000m Athens Paralympic Games 2004. His time of 2:33:20 for the marathon still stands as the world record for blind runners, and his recent participation in the Standard Chartered Greatest Race on Earth saw him run an impressive 4 half marathons in 4 months in preparation for the London Marathon this weekend.

Standard Chartered Bank sponsor 'The Greatest Race on Earth'. A virtual relay race consisting of a series of four marathons situated in Asia and Africa. Teams of four runners will run one marathon each with the winning team having recorded the fastest total accumulated time over the series. With the first series having just finished in Hong Kong, series two will start in October with the Nairobi Marathon, and with a prize pool of USD$1.5m, the event will look to take marathon running by storm.

Paul Tergat the Marathon World Record holder said "The Greatest Race on Earth is an exciting new concept which brings a breath of fresh air into the World of marathon running. I love the fact that teamwork will be crucial to winning the competition. In marathon running, we are used to winning or losing on our own, as part of The Greatest Race you have to rely on three other guys to complete their marathons in a good time as well!"

For further information on Standard Chartered and their continued support of marathon running, Greatest Race on Earth or Seeing is Believing please visit the website: www.prismteam.com.