‘It doesn’t hold him back’: Blind/sighted kayak team begins multi-day river race

By Megan Abundis

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    KANSAS CITY, Kansas (KSHB) — Last month, KSHB 41 reporter Megan Abundis shared the story of a blind kayaker and his sighted teammate preparing for the Missouri River 340.

Abundis followed up Tuesday as the athletes prepared to head out on the multi-day race.

“It feels so good to be here today after so much training,” said Isaac McBurney, a blind kayaker.

McBurney’s training started at Lake Jacomo. He prepared to navigate the waters and paddle for hundreds of miles.

“I’m so excited to be here on the Missouri River and sharing my story,” McBurney said. “I’m trying to make sure blind people can set their minds to things and accomplish things.”

Word about McBurney’s ability to push nautical boundaries spread throughout Kaw Point’s lineup of hundreds of paddlers launching into the water.

“I don’t know how they do it. To do 340 miles is a feat in and of itself, and to add blindness into it is inspirational,” said racer Rick Bazan.

Racer Larry Hansen said the challenge is an “awesome undertaking.”

“I see them navigate around the city and find their way around … to get out here and do it in a nautical way out here on the river and compete in a highly physical level, I think that is just incredible, and I’m glad they are getting some notoriety,” Hansen said.

When McBurney and his teammate, Jake McLaughlin, were ready, Scott McBurney, Isaac’s dad, saw them off from land.

“I’m really excited and a little nervous. But I got faith in Isaac and Jake — they’ll do a great job,” Scott McBurney said.

From the stern of the kayak, McLaughlin said he was feeling “nervous but excited” to start the race.

“I asked Isaac last year what he sees on the river. He said blues and greens,” McLaughlin said. “So he doesn’t see a lot, but we work together as a team. It doesn’t make me nervous because our communication is spot on. We learn like anyone else — by getting on the water.”

Through sharing his story of not letting his vision loss set him back, Isaac McBurney said he was touched to know his story resonated with others.

“A lot of people felt inspired by my story,” he said. “I talked with a few friends, and they said, ‘I didn’t know it was possible to kayak as someone who was visually impaired.’ That was impactful for me.”

With 340 miles between McBurney and McLaughlin from start to finish, his team is ready to cross the finish line in St. Charles.

“I don’t look at his visual impairment as an obstacle but a strength for us as we go down the river,” McLaughlin said. “It is an incredibly difficult race. Every part of your body aches at the end. It becomes more of a mental game than a physical game, at the end of the day, and having your strong teammate counts more than anything.”

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