Click here for updates on this story
MISSOURI (KMBC) — Practice makes perfect for Isaac McBurney and Jake McLaughlin.
This is the fourth year the pair will compete in the MR340, a race along the Missouri River.
But they aren’t your typical competitors.
“I am blind. Jake is sighted, and we really play off each other really well,” McBurney said. “I have low vision so I can see a little bit in front of me.”
“On the river, it’s a bunch of greens and blues and browns, so I am relying on you, as someone who can see, to be my eyes,” McBurney said.
McBurney and McLaughlin are representing Alphapointe KC, a nonprofit that supports people who are visually impaired. It’s how the two met. This year, they’ve got new gear thanks to the organization.
Like the other races, their goal is to make it to the finish line. But their true mission means a bit more.
“Even though I’m blind, I’m still capable of doing things,” McBurney said. “That’s been through the help of Alphapointe and through the help of my family and friends. We are just out here trying to get people to notice that blind people can accomplish whatever they set their minds to.”
And pursuing that mission together is a bonus.
“The biggest thing that I look forward to, you know, throughout the entirety of the week is, you know, hanging out with Isaac and just going down the river and proving to the world that, you know, blindness doesn’t have to define you,” McLaughlin said. “It can be your motivation. It can be your inspiration. And of course, it’s challenged by choice for both of us.”
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.