Ran from all paws: in the New York half-marathon, a blind athlete finished with a guide dog

Behind every victory, behind every achievement of a man are those who inspired and supported him. Behind the finish of the blind athlete Thomas Panek (48 years old) on the half-marathon of United Airlines in New York, which was held on March 17, stand no less than 12 fluffy paws. Thomas Panek became the first runner in history who overcame the 21-kilometer race with the help of three guide dogs.

Waffle, Westley and Gus - well-trained guide dogs, labrador retriever breeds, helped Panek to train for the marathon, and then participated with him in the Big Apple race. The fluffy trio became the first four-legged team that participated in the race, and Gus, who ran the last 5 kilometers with Panek and completed the distance, was also the first guide dog to finish in the half marathon. According to Thomas Panek, the dogs enjoyed the sport.

"It's a long race, but dogs are running creatures and they love to move and run," Panek told local ABC station WABC ahead of the race. "A lot of times, when we're walking our dogs, we are holding them back. They want to get out and have fun, and they love it."

Thomas Panek participated in the half-marathon not only for the sake of sporting achievement, but his race was also devoted to a campaign to raise funds for the training of guide dogs for blind athletes. According to the runner, service dogs will help blind people lead a more active lifestyle, freely go out and even play sports, including running.