Matt is a real life inspiration for all runners, would-be runners and non-runners. He has been dealt a challenging hand yet is truly making the most of the cards he has been dealt. You may recognize him from local events and training runs. For the last several summers he has been a regular at our Saturday morning training runs. He is on an amazing path.

Matt was born with an extreme case of astigmatism. It makes him very near sighted with blurry vision. He also has issues with his optic nerve causing poor communication between his eyes and brain. He has developed scar tissue over his cornea, creating a white cloud on top of his other conditions. Going from bright light to less light makes navigating difficult. He is considered legally blind. He could seek laser surgery but that wouldn't be covered by insurance, and wouldn't clear up all his issues, if any, potentially creating more issues than he already has.

So these are reasons why you may have noticed Matt running with heavy sunglasses and staring downward towards his feet. Every step, whether running or walking, there are potential fall hazards that he may not detect. Stumbling or falling over potholes and pavement cracks are very real situations for him. He starts his runs at the back of the pack out of concern of tripping and taking down not only himself but other runners. He cannot read street signs or Pacer sticks and only detects the larger monuments along his routes. He probably will not recognize you, only seeing a sea of blurry shapes. 

Although Matt played football in high school, at an early age he found his life boring. He basically attended school, then came home and played video games or listened to music. He didn't have outside activities or friends in his life. He did find employment. Today he works four 10-hour shifts per week. He would like to go workout at a gym, but because of his vision he cannot drive. He uses city buses to get back and forth to work, and it is unrealistic to then bus to and from a gym in the evenings. 

About 3 years ago in Matt's apartment, he started feeling that boredom creep back into his life. He had gained weight and became concerned about his overall physical health. One of his co-workers mentioned St. Joe's Food pantry, and how they were looking for volunteers, and how they had a 5k event every fall. He volunteered there the first year, making the connection, where he met PaceSetters Dave Bonson and Jan Peebles. He decided he wanted to give running a try, citing several reasons.... health, getting out of his apartment, and meeting people.

Matt has a treadmill in his apartment and does many of his miles there. Over the winter, the Wisconsin weather creates difficult conditions that understandably keeps him on his treadmill. He credits Tommy Rivers and his iFit run workout plans on helping him keep motivated. Although Matt will tell you how he is slow and walks many of his miles, he continues to push himself harder and set higher goals. After completing 5k races, he realized he could do this and started coming to our Saturday morning summer training runs. He is learning how far he can push himself, not believing in the "no pain, no gain" motto, able to recognize that he needs to pay attention to what his body is telling him. With the support of others, including his Mom who would drive him to these training runs, he was able to increase his mileage and impressively worked his way up to completing his first Half Marathon in the fall of 2023 at Fox Cities. 

Note that Matt at first seemed apprehensive to share this information about himself with me. He is very humble, soft spoken and does not want pity. He does not rely on others for help (but it surely would be appreciated if you could offer any!). His motto now in life is to have no regrets in how he is living it. He has not let his vision issues stop him. He would like to be remembered as someone motivational for others. He could have taken the easy path, collecting social security benefits and not working. But he has not. His next goal is to complete a Full Marathon this fall at Fox Cities. He gave a shout out to race organizer Amanda Siecor as being helpful and encouraging towards getting him there. He plans on taking the event one mile at a time, not thinking on the course about how many more miles he has to go, instead just thinking about how happy he is to be able to do this.

Already in 2025, in less than 6 months time, Matt has successfully completed three Half Marathons, an 8k race and a 5k race! If you recognize him on a future run, he would appreciate it if you took a moment and said hello and introduced yourself. Once you make that connection with him, you will surely find him to be a great person and someone you will soon be able to call your friend.

Registration is now open for the 31st annual 2025 St. Joseph Food Program run/walk event, which will be held in Menasha at 1465 Opportunity Way on October 4, 2025. This is a fun, family friendly race through the quiet neighborhoods surrounding St. Joe's and beautiful Fritsch Park. Once again, there will be an option of running either a 5k or 10k distance, all for the same low price of $25 if you register early. More information and registration here.

You may recognize these delicious, healthy treats from some of our Fun Runs. Our own Cyndi Faulkner has been generous enough to bring some of her balls to several of our club runs. I challenge anyone to eat just one!