For the 28th straight year, thousands flooded a route stretching from Waldo to the Plaza Sunday morning, all to celebrate and support countless children many will likely never meet.
The Trolley Run, one of the largest four-mile races in the world, raised nearly $400,000 last year to support Kansas City’s Children’s Center For the Visually Impaired. The race has built up a reputation that’s spread across the country.
"They're just gonna have great role models, and they're gonna be taught that there's no limitations. They can do anything they want,” said Shawn Cheshire while talking about all the blind children the run helps each year.
Cheshire flew in from Boston this week to partake in the race. She lost her vision about four years ago after suffering head trauma while working as a paramedic. Not only is she part of the United States Association for Blind Athletes, but she’s also on the U.S. National Para-Cycling team trying to qualify for the Rio Olympics.
Cheshire said the race inspires her to pursue her goals and is proud to be supporting children from CCVI.
"Just thinking of where things were five years ago as opposed to what they will be in ten years, they're gonna thrive,” said Cheshire.
The race kicked off from 75th and Wornall at 7:45 a.m.
David Brown, 23, was among the 9,000 plus runners. Brown, a KC native, is one of the world’s fastest blind runners on the planet, holding world records in the 100 meter and 200 meter sprints.
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Josh Helmuth can be reached at josh.helmuth@kshb.com
