Thanks for an amazing Santa Barbara half marathon & 5k!

Dear Blind Fitness Participants, Volunteers, Partners, and Sponsors,

We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who joined us for the Santa Barbara Half Marathon & 5k this past weekend. Your participation and support played a vital role in making this event a memorable success! This year we had the honor of hosting 25 athletes who are blind or have low vision, along with over 30 guides, many of whom were guiding for the first time. Several people competed in their very first 5k or half marathon race, and we even had two people fly out all the way from Maryland to join us!

A special shout out to our panelists at our community banquet: Dan Broz, Tony Duenas, Dr. Vivienne Hau, and Courtney Mazzola. Your vulnerability and heartfelt messages made a significant impact at our event. (Read more about each panelist below in their bio)

We also want to recognize some exceptional contributors:

• Richard Hunter: For all his mentorship and support through United In Stride
• Tania Isaac-Dutton: Our outstanding Logistics & Volunteer Coordinator
• Brian Walters: Our dedicated Athlete & Guide Coordinator
• Marlene Mourtzikos: Our fantastic Delta Gamma Volunteer Coordinator
• Annelie Du Plessis: Her contributions and partnership with Wayfinder Family Services 
• John Pace & the Santa Barbara & Goleta Lion’s Club: For their commitment to our community, help with transportation, and sponsorship towards food for our banquet.
• Nancy Perry & the UCSB Delta Gamma Alumni & Sorority: Their volunteer efforts were instrumental to our banquet’s success 
• Kyle’s Kitchen: For providing delicious and nutritious food at our banquet
• Charlotte Sensing: Her hard work with many behind-the-scenes tasks
• Thomas Rich: His wonderful photography that captured our event. ​Dropbox Photos can be viewed HERE
• Santa Barbara Athletic Association: For offering race entry scholarships to our athletes 
• David Monico & Run Local: Their commitment to accessibility and providing free race entries to all of our guides 
• McManigal Family: Their generous sponsorship
• Blue Planet Eyewear: For donating sunglasses to all of our athletes & guides

​
Together, we fostered an inclusive and empowering atmosphere that showcased the spirit of our community. Your kindness and enthusiasm are what drives our mission at Blind Fitness.
Once again, thank you for your dedication and support. We look forward to seeing you all again at future events to continue expanding fitness and community with the blind!

---

Blind Fitness Community Banquet Panelist Bios

Tony Duenas
Marco A. Duenas (Tony), age 57, lost his vision at 42-years-old due to retinal detachments. Prior to his vision loss, Tony was not very physically active, but After losing his sight, he started with boxing, then jujitsu, and CrossFit. Then, one day, a friend invited him to run and 5-months later, Tony ran his first Los Angeles Marathon. After speaking with Richard Hunter, Tony did his first Olympic distance triathlon 4-months later. Tony has gone on to complete 11 marathons (3 of which were Boston), 2 ultra marathons, 7 half Ironman distance triathlons and 3 full Ironmans. More recently, Tony began cross country skiing which he really enjoys. Tony obtained his Masters in Assistive Technology and Human Services last year, and is currently learning ASL at the Braille Institute so he can work with the blind/deaf community.

Daniel Broz
Daniel, 42-years-old, lives in Santa Barbara, and has been a part of blind fitness from the very beginning. Daniel was diagnosed with Choroideremia when he was 15 and was legally blind at 24-years-old. He has experience with running, hiking, yoga and the gym. Daniel is currently working on his grant writing certification.

Courtney Mazzola
Courtney Mazzola is a somatic psychotherapist, supporting clients in living their best lives by addressing the whole person, mind, body, and spirit. She has worked with a diverse range of populations, including inmates at San Quentin, children who lost loved ones, and hospice. Blind from birth due to Labors Congenital Amaurosis, she brings a lifetime of experience working to promote personal and professional empowerment for members of the blind community. She currently lives between Santa Barbra, and Kauai,, and is inspired by inclusionism, self-growth, travel, adventure, delicious food, and having unique experiences of every kind. An accomplished equestrian, marshal artist, and sailor, her recent passions include surfing, skiing, hiking, and tandem cycling. Her latest conquest was learning to fly a plane and she is in the process of discovering what’s next.

Vivienne S. Hau, MD, PhD
Vivienne S. Hau, MD, PhD is a Clinical Assistant Professor with the Kaiser Permanente (KP) Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine and a Permanente Partner retina surgeon. She is the Kaiser Permanente Riverside Area Vice-Chair of Clinical Research and a co-founder and director of Kaiser Permanente’s largest ophthalmology clinical research program nationwide focusing on age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. She has been the primary investigator of over 20 phase 1, 2 and 3 prospective randomized studies that have led to 4 FDA approved treatments and includes stem cell therapy and the first gene therapy at Kaiser last year. She has also guided a handful of different visually impaired runners in over a dozen marathons including the Boston Marathon as part of Team with a Vision, Achilles International, USABA and United in Stride. One of her proudest moments was being the co-captain with Richard Hunter in leading the first visually impaired team in the Mt. Hood to Coast 200 mile overnight race. She's also the mother to a most amazing 9 y/o daughter.