Five-Year-Old Boy to Guide Blind Runner in Beersheba Light Run
In an inspiring initiative, 49-year-old blind runner Lior Mehrabani will complete a 500-meter run guided by 5-year-old Nevo Arush at the upcoming Beersheba Light Run to raise awareness for visually impaired athletes.
Next Wednesday, thousands of runners will gather for the Beersheba "Light Run," featuring various distances up to a half-marathon. However, the most anticipated moment of the night will take place on the shortest track of 500 meters, where 49-year-old Lior Mehrabani, who has been blind since birth, will run alongside 5-year-old Nevo Arush.
Mehrabani is an experienced runner who has previously completed the Venice Marathon. While blind runners always rely on sighted guides, this event marks a unique partnership as his guide is a young child who just returned to kindergarten this week.
Building Trust on the Track
The connection was made through the "Kesher Ein ALA Winner Israel" running club, which pairs blind and visually impaired runners with volunteer guides. Nevo's father, Matan Arush, is a veteran volunteer guide at the club.
Mehrabani shared his personal journey:
"About ten years ago, I participated in one race and stopped. Before October 7, when they established the Beersheba branch of our club, they asked me to manage it. I didn't think I would run again, but I agreed to help. At first, I could barely run 20 meters. Slowly, I improved. I realized the main challenge for a blind runner is not physical, but mental—learning to completely trust the person guiding you."
Inspiring Volunteers and Runners
Addressing safety concerns regarding his young guide, Mehrabani emphasized that the run is fully supervised:
"We are doing this very responsibly. Nevo's father, Matan, is highly experienced and will be running right beside us during the event. My goal is to raise awareness. If a 5-year-old child can guide a blind runner, anyone can volunteer to do it. We want to prove to other blind individuals that they can overcome their fears and run."
The idea originated from Nevo himself, who wanted to guide a runner just like his father. The duo trained together using a specialized tether strap to coordinate their turns and pace.
