MADAWASKA, Maine — Declining vision led Dennis Lavoie of Madawaska to retire early in 2019, at the age of 56. And while he knew he would eventually become totally blind, he decided to start running — a decision that just six years later would lead to him earning a prize known as the Six Star Medal.
That medal recognizes runners who have completed six of the most established marathons across the world, in the cities of Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, New York and Tokyo. That was the original set of races recognized by an organization called Abbott World Marathon Majors, which awards the Six Star Medal.
Lavoie is afflicted with Usher Syndrome Type 2, a hereditary condition that causes profound hearing loss and eventual blindness. The condition causes blindness through the loss of peripheral vision. Lavoie said he is currently 70 percent deaf and is limited to a mere four degrees of peripheral vision in each eye.
A visual field of less than 20 degrees is considered legally blind, according to the American Optometric Association.
The fact that Lavoie will one day completely lose his vision was a major motivator to get involved in marathon running. He said he does not like to consider himself disabled, but instead thinks of it as leading a different type of lifestyle.
“I knew I had to take a different path in life than normal people would,” he said, “but I think I did OK. I became a mechanical engineer and worked in the paper industry.”
The loss of vision significantly started in 2018, at which point Lavoie’s doctor did not know he was blind. It began affecting his driving. On two occasions his car ended up in a snow bank. At one point he almost struck a young girl, which ultimately convinced him to stop driving and retire early.
“I went to the mill the next day and said ‘I’m done,’” he said.
The next day, he said he asked God what was next. His dog jumped in his lap, so they went for a walk. He decided to start walking to lose weight, and after a few months this turned to running.
Then he ran a virtual 5K and started getting involved in races. In 2021, he ran marathons in Idaho, Chicago and New York.
Lavoie is led by a guide runner. They both hold onto a rope tether, and the guide runner lets Lavoie know if any obstacles, such as potholes or railroad tracks, are coming up.
He registered a time of 3:43:07 at the Chicago Marathon, a time fast enough to let him compete in the Boston Marathon, where he later registered a personal best time of 3:34:49.
It was at the Chicago Marathon that Lavoie noticed some people wearing the Six Star Medal. He asked around and learned about the achievement.
And with his vision closing in, he decided to go for it.
“I know I’m gonna go completely blind one day,” he said. “Why not travel? I’ve always liked to travel.”
Earlier this month, Lavoie accomplished that goal when he finished his final marathon in Tokyo.
Lavoie is among fewer than 20,000 runners in the world to get the Six Star Medal. At the end of 2024, Abbott marked a total of 17,679 runners who had earned the medal since it was created in 2016.
Another notable runner from Maine who won the Six Star Medal is Joan Benoit Samuelson of Cape Elizabeth. She is also the first women’s Olympics marathon winner.
Lavoie said he may also be the first individual who is both blind and deaf to win the Six Star Medal. In researching other winners, he was unable to find any others.
Thomas Eller of Germany was the first deaf-born runner to win three six-star medals. And 35-year-old Anthony Butler is thought to be the first blind individual to win the medal.
A spokesperson for the Abbott World Marathon Majors told the Bangor Daily News that it does not track disabilities, so can not confirm with 100 percent certainty if Lavoie is the first legally blind and deaf runner to achieve Six Star status.
But based on the news of other runners and the relatively small number of medal recipients, Lavoie said he believes he may be the first in the world to hold this distinction.
Looking back on the six-year journey from early retirement to joining a class of roughly 20,000 world athletes, Lavoie said it has been an immensely rewarding and spiritual experience.
“Running with God is a beautiful journey,” he said. “I know my limits mentally and physically, but there are no limits spiritually. My faith has grown a lot since I started running.”
