WELL-known former Shoalhaven runner Julien Wicks is set to perform on his biggest stage.
Wicks will head to Beijing for the Games, giving the area another athlete in China, but he will be taking part in the Paralympics.
And not as a competitor; Wicks, who now lives in Canberra, will be taking part as a guide runner for marathoner Roy Daniell.
Roy, who will compete in the T12 section for someone with less than five per cent vision will be taking part in his third Paralympics.
Julien, who met Roy as a member of the distance running group in Canberra, is excited about the prospect of being part of the Paralympics.
“It’s going to be huge,” he said.
“It’s definitely going to be the biggest sporting event I’ve ever been involved in. I can’t see myself ever reaching this height individually, but this is a team effort and is even more rewarding.
“Finishing the Canberra marathon in April was fantastic, I enjoyed it even more than I thought I would. Roy is a great athlete, he’s been there before and has medalled, in Sydney claiming a bronze in T13, and silver as a T13 in Athens.
“I suppose we will be looking to go one better and maybe a gold in Beijing, but there is a lot to happen before then,” Wicks said.
Roy is currently ranked sixth in the world in his T12 division. The pair live just a couple of blocks from each other in the nation’s capital and has been part of the same running group for a few years.
“Roy just asked one day if anyone would like to act as a guide runner for him in the Canberra marathon,” he said.
“I said I would have a go, but I didn’t really want to run the whole distance.”
Wicks will be one of two runners who will guide Roy at Beijing. Dennis Fitzgerald will run the first half of the race with Julien stepping in for the final 20 odd kilometres.
His role is to run alongside his athlete and to be the runner’s eyes and guide.
“You can have up to four guides per event, Dennis runs and guides blind athletes on the track, so it has worked well,” he said.
“The rules say you can’t run past your athlete, you have to stay shoulder to shoulder - we could use an arm band to be connected, but we find it more of a hindrance as you have to keep your arms and stride in synch. I run next to him and fulfill the role as commentator, coach, motivator and guide – I almost describe what I can see in front of me and what’s coming up - I let him know what obstacles we have coming up, turns etc – watch the kilometre markers and hand him drinks at drinks stations.”
Roy, 43, has a genetic condition, that manifested in his late teens and has become progressively worse, which has seen him change categories in his sport to now being a T11 with less than five per cent vision.
He can get around alright in his day to day activities, but needs a guide when running.
Although a talented runner himself, having won junior national titles, over the past two years Wicks’ running has become more “of a lifestyle than a sport. I’ve been running half marathons and 10km events.
“The marathon is such a different event to what I have been doing,” he said.
“That’s why we will split it up with Dennis, as I don’t want to have a bad day and maybe hold Roy back.”
Roy’s personal best for the 42km is 2 hours 35 minutes, and he ran a 2.44 in the recent Canberra marathon.
“I suppose if I was running it myself I would wait until I was down to about the 2.30 mark, but in Beijing we are aiming for around 2.40,” Wicks said.
He says it has rekindled his passion for the sport and has given hime the chance to get super fit again.
“I may even do a couple of 10km races and half marathons and 5km on the track myself,” he said.
Wicks has completed his studies at ANU and is a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Law and is currently working with the Department of Health as a policy advisor.
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