<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'>Veteran finishes the half-marathon at the Cleveland Marathon, while serving as an inspiration for blind athletes - cleveland.com<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'>Published: May. 21, 2023<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'>Runner Jose Centeno and Coach Mike Stokes<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Jose Centeno and Mike Stokes completed the 2023 Cleveland Half Marathon together.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Throughout Sunday, the cheers from Cleveland Marathon spectators along the sidewalk were at a moderate volume. The only occasions where<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>the cheers or music increased were when the marathon’s winners or a fan’s friend or family crossed the finish line.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>But there was a moment of its own when two men and the cheers became quite loud. Was it their outfits? They were standard outfits for runners, yet a bit<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>more colorful.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>A marathon MC then stuck the microphone near the men and asked them about the race, in which one of them mentioned, “I’m blind.” And as they walked closer<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>to receive their medals, the outfits made sense. The speaker, Jose Centeno, wore a baby blue-toned vest featuring the word, “blind” in large black letters.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Underneath the vest was a collared shirt with “National Federation of the Blind,” and on top of his was U.S. Marine Corps Veteran hat.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The audience of the 2023 Cleveland Marathon was recognizing that Centeno, a 67-year old blind man and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, completed the half-marathon.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Beside him was his race guide and coach, Mike Stokes, who wore a shirt with, “Team RWB” (Red White and Blue).<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“It was a wonderful 13.1 [miles], I really really enjoyed running this Cleveland Half Marathon with my friends,” Centeno said.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Centeno’s race could’ve came to an end toward the last stretch because of his arthritis, but he kept going. The Dayton native crossed the line with a finishing<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>time of 2 hours, 41 minutes, and 4 seconds.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“Usually at the 10-mile marker, that’s when I start falling apart because of arthritis in my left knee, but he (Stokes) didn’t tell me that,” Centeno said.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“We passed the 10-mile marker, then when we got to the 11th (marker), then that kind of motivated me more because with 2 miles to go, that just gave me<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>the high.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Add in a scraped and bloody knee due a fall during the race, and this was quite the battle won by Centeno.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“I kinda fell, but it was great,” Centeno said while smiling.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>He was quick to cite all his supporters, including Stokes, his friend Keith, and Mickey, a dog sitting in a backpack on Keith’s back.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Centeno also pointed toward his collared shirt with “National Federation of the Blind” featured on it, and cited their support.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“The National Federation knows that it is not a characteristic that defines blind people and our future. It’s a great organization,” Centeno said.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>And beside him was Stokes, a coach and member of Team Red, White and Blue, an organization focused on keeping former veterans active in life.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“Our mission is to enrich the lives of America’s veterans and we just like to keep veterans active and healthy,” Stokes said. “And the best thing you can<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>do is get out there and move.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>They hadn’t known each other until introduced by the Cleveland Institute, and once meeting, their friendship took off.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“I didn’t know Jose until Team RWB introduced him to us, so the Cleveland Institute reached our organization, asking us if we can help him out and we were<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>glad to,” Stokes said.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>But there was a time when Centeno’s smile wasn’t as big as it was on Sunday.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>After serving for 21 years, Centeno was hired by the U.S. Post Office in 1996. At some point he contracted glaucoma, but was on medication and could still<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>see. In August of 2015, his vision took turn for worse due to the glaucoma. Centeno is blind in his right eye, and can only see shadows with his left eye.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“When I went blind, I got so depressed, that the doctor wanted to put me on medication, but I said, ‘No way,’ ” Centeno said. “I’m gonna do what I was<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>doing before I was blind and that as running, and so I started to run again.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>By that point, he was back into running, connected with Team RWB, and he hasn’t stopped since.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“Even if you’re not a veteran, and you’re blind, go out there and do something,” he said. “Don’t let your blindness get you depressed.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>