Tom Sullivan Is Still Breaking Down Barriers for Handicapped

SAN DIEGO —  Tom Sullivan says that before a race, he has a wonderful feeling of tension. As the early-morning breeze blows through his hair, he senses the building nerves of the other runners.

As the race progresses, Sullivan hears the sound of runners jostling for position and people yelling out split times and offering encouragement. His feet feel the contour of the race course.

On Sunday, Sullivan’s feelings will be similar to those of more than 3,000 runners in San Diego’s Buick 10-kilometer race. But Sullivan isn’t just any runner.

He is blind.

“I’m completely involved in the senses of the sport,” said Sullivan, 40, who has been blind since birth. “I hear feet hitting the pavement, people offering water or saying, ‘There goes Tom Sullivan.’ There’s the smell of running shoes and sweat. Running is a wonderful part of my life. It is a bridge.”

Sullivan sees himself as a bridge to help handicapped people. He is an example of a man unafraid of facing barriers.

He has written four books. One, “If You Could See What I Hear,” about his life, was made into a movie. He is currently working on a TV movie called “Murder in the Dark.” He is an actor, a lecturer, a pianist and a member of the board of directors for a number of organizations. He says he is obsessed with people and breaking down barriers.

“When handicapped people are doing something that other people do, they are sharing a common ground,” he said. “That’s a bridge. Things like running, that we can share, are clearly bridges. It is a way to break down the stereotypes and push the barriers down.”

Sullivan will be running in a field of world-class runners. Eamonn Coghlan, Peter Koech, Rich Brownsberger and Zak Barie are in the men’s field, and Allison Roe, Janine Aiello, Lisa Weidenbach, Mindy Ireland and Liz Baker are in the women’s. Sullivan enjoys being among runners of that caliber.

“I love to run competitively,” Sullivan said. “The Buick course happens to be one of the best courses in the country. This is a race for elitists and this is a world-class event.”

Sullivan has taken running seriously for eight years. While on assignment for “Good Morning America,” for which he profiled special human beings, he was touched by what he found at the Blind Children’s Center in Los Angeles. He created the Tom Sullivan St. Patrick’s Day 10K Run in Torrance to help support the center.

“Someone told me I better be prepared to run in the race if it had my name on it,” Sullivan said. “Before that, I fooled around with jogging, but I was still fat. But then I started to really focus on running and it became addicting. Now I run every day.”

Sullivan was an outstanding wrestler in high school and at Providence College. He went to Harvard and was a member of the crew team. He is a 20-handicap golfer, a skier and runs marathons as well as 10Ks.

“I’m a 3:15 marathoner,” Sullivan said. “I’m a 41-minute 10K runner. This is the year I can break my age, but not Sunday. The hills are tough and they come early in the race. Sunday I’ll run 41.”

Sullivan runs with friends who tell him what’s ahead, where to turn and when he’s about to run into something or someone.

“When they’re running with me, they’re sacrificing their own race and their own times,” Sullivan said. “It says an awful lot about what wonderful people they are.”

Sunday, he will run with a group of six friends, two of whom--Ann Wold and Nan Harman--will be responsible for Sullivan.

“She (Harman) is the best guide in being able to explain something,” Sullivan said. “There’s an awful lot of technical information that really is necessary for me to know. I ask things like when there is a hill, how long it is, and what’s the (incline) degree. As a blind person, I can’t look over the top of the hill. Psychologically, it really works on you unless you have an awareness.”

SAN DIEGO 10K FACTS

Top Entries: Eamonn Coghlan, Peter Koech, Zak Barie, Rich Brownsberger, Allison Roe, Janine Aiello, Lisa Weidenbach, Mindy Ireland and Liz Baker.

Course Route: Downtown San Diego. Start on 5th Avenue and G Street; north on 5th along Balboa Park; west on Walnut; south on 4th; east on Upas St.; south on 5th; west on Ash St.; south on N. Harbor Drive; east on Broadway; south on Kettner; east on G St.; north on 9th, and west on Broadway to 5th.

Time: Race starts at 7:45 a.m. Sunday. Runners may register the day of the race at 6 a.m. at 5th Avenue and G Street, near the starting line.

Prize Money: $25,600 total purse. $5,000 to men’s winner, $3,000 for second, $1,500 for third. $5,000 to women’s winner, $2,500 for second, $1,000 for third.