Mon. Oct. 13. We got a bright and early start (well, not too bright–I was waiting for my ride in the dark at 5:45 a.m.). We ran Ro’im Rahok, a 10-kilometer race in which blind runners with escorts compete against sighted runners. It’s held at Beit Oved near Tel Aviv, at the Israel Guide Dog Center for the Blind (see article about last year’s race for more info; if you read Hebrew and you want to participate next year, the race is sponsored by Sportweb). I took these photos with my iPod. I don’t have any photos of the race itself, because I’m not good at photographing and racing at the same time, but it was a great event. They closed one side of route 42 for the race.
We had to drive through the starting line to get to the parking lot around 7 a.m.
The running race starts at the same time as the tandem cycling race for the blind, with sighted volunteers.
After the race we spent some time in the kennels with the dogs. The Guide Dog Center is open for visitors and offers tours. If you haven’t been there, it’s a nice activity for kids. There are small picnic and park areas, dog areas, a fish pond, puppies, and, of course, lots and lots of golden retrievers.
Obstacle course. These dogs must undergo an incredible amount of training!
Metal maze for dogs.
Drum circle after the awards ceremony.
Two of my teammates (Cisco League) in the kennel.
