Legally blind athlete attempts to complete Ironman triathlon for third time

From The Herald in Monterey County, California:

Maverick Malech, a real estate agent from Salinas, attempted to become the first legally blind athlete to complete the grueling Ironman Hawaii Triathlon for the third time Oct. 11 in Kona, Hawaii.

The Ironman course includes a 2.4-mile ocean swim, a 112-mile bike across a lava desert, and a 26.2-mile marathon run along the windy coast of the Big Island, all in the same day. Malech, now employed by Intero Real Estate in Morgan Hill, finished the race in 2005 and 2006, despite his ongoing battle with a retinal degenerative disease that has left him with 20-200 vision — meaning he needs to be within 20 feet to see what a person with normal vision can see clearly from 200 feet.

"I will be racing this year to raise money to help bring awareness to retinal degenerative diseases and to help find a cure for thousands of people who are afflicted with retinal diseases," Malech said. "With the help of The Foundation Fighting Blindness we can make a difference."