You may have seen them in the Oslo Marathon - but they have hardly seen you. We are talking about the wonderful gang of blind and partially sighted athletes from Team RP. The athletes who every year invite a large number of cultural and sports personalities to pose as companions in the Oslo Marathon. Together, they run to profile Active Against Cancer. In addition to the width, Team RP also has some real cracks. During last year's Oslo Marathon, Team RP ran away with as many as 5 of 6 NM medals in the half marathon - impressive team effort!
Team RP, which consists of people who all have the eye disease Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), has an active environment throughout the year. These days, a large part is preparing for this year's Birkebeiner weekend where they will compete with 4 teams in Friday's Birkebeiner relay, and that a number of the athletes will also run the traditional 54 km Birkebeinerrennet the next day.
Team RP is also an active promoter to get disabled people included in the sport. One of the initiatives they have taken the lead in is weekly joint training for the disabled at Bislett Stadium. A collaboration with SK Vidar was established, and now the Team RP team gathers together with other disabled athletes every Wednesday at Bislett Stadium for organized joint training. Visually impaired, amputees, people with reduced mobility and wheelchair users participate in interval training, strength and balance training, as well as yoga. A large number of volunteers pose as companions and training buddies, and contribute to a fantastic positive and wonderful training environment that includes between 50 - 80 people every Wednesday.
In the next newsletter, we will present another unique and groundbreaking charitable initiative that Team RP is behind. We promise that you will be impressed when you read about it.
In the meantime - should you wish to be a companion, you can contact Team RP leader Håkon Gisholt at hakongis@gmail.com. Then you can have the opportunity to promote your own form, help others, and not least be infected by the positive joy of mastery you find in the Team RP environment.
