Pamela McGonigle and Maida
McGonigle is an accomplished runner and won a gold medal in the 3,000 meters on the track at the 1992 Paralympics.
She raced competitively for years, but coordinating schedules with a human running guide became exhausting. And as an elite runner, finding someone fast enough to keep up with her was also challenging.
She retired in 2004, but eventually came to miss the exhilaration of running. When she decided to get a guide dog who could also run with her, she set her expectations low.
Then she was paired with Maida in the spring of 2016 and it quickly became obvious that this was a match made in heaven.
“When I feel her in the harness when we run, she’s so happy,” says McGonigle, 49, of Ardmore, Penn. “It’s incredible we were matched.”
Maida not only enjoys running, she is good at it. Since last summer, the pair has worked on getting faster and running farther.
These days, the duo typically runs at an 8 minute-per-mile pace and up to 10 miles a day.
Depending on the weather and Maida’s other tasks for the day, McGonigle adjusts their run so she isn't overworked.
If Maida’s endurance and speed is not impressive enough, she also successfully leads McGonigle through wooded trails.
If something or someone is blocking their path, Maida is trained to stop and figure out a way around, or wait until the person or dog moves.
“You are on the trail and [maybe] there’s a tree down. She has stopped plenty of times in the middle of the run to assess.” McGonigle says. “She’s assessing objects and people and contemplating what movements to make. It's incredible."
When they smoothly cruise together on a run, it’s an amazing experience for McGonigle.
“When I have my hand on that harness, I feel like I can see,” she says. "It tells me what is going on around me. I can tell when she sees a bird in the sky.”
Because of Maida, McGonigle is able to train for a North Face Endurance Challenge in May, a 50-mile technical race at Bear Mountain State Park in New York.
“It’s a tremendous gift to have her and for this program to exist,” she says.
She will run the 50-miler with guides, Nick Speranza, who trained the pair at Guiding Eyes, and Mike Racioppo.
Maida will be waiting at the finish line, ready to happily greet her companion.
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