For blind runners, canine running guides can be a ticket to safety and independence

For runners, January marks a new season of training, with spring races looming just months away. For blind runners — and there are many of them — there are challenges, including finding guides for longer runs, or logging miles on the treadmill, which might not mimic outdoor terrain.

That's why blind runner Thomas Panek, who made running history as the first to run the New York City Half Marathon with a series of guide dogs, started a unique program that pairs dogs with blind runners, providing the duos with the skills they need to become training (and racing) partners.

The program is called Running Guides and is operated by Guiding Eyes for the Blind, where Panek is president and CEO. He’s also the author of “Ten: Overcoming Our Greatest Fear with the Love of Dogs.”

He joins blind ultramarathoner Terri Rupp, who runs with a 2-year-old black lab named Trinket, to talk about Running Guides and how the program has changed both their lives.