Photos: This visually impaired athlete just ran his 7th Boston Marathon

Ryan Davies finished the 26.2 mile trek in just over five hours.

April 21, 2025

1 minute to read

Previously featured in Boston.com’s “Why I’m Running” series, Ryan Davies, a 50-year-old marathoner and stay-at-home dad from Gilbert, Arizona, completed his seventh consecutive Boston Marathon, despite his own health concerns.

Davies is a visually impaired runner, with Team with a Vision, who, “in the past has had 10 eye surgeries, 9 stitches in forehead, dented back tooth, broken collarbone, scars on knees, and a foot infection that almost caused [him] to lose [his] left foot.”

I really believe life is a marathon. You have to look at life like that, where there are challenges, setbacks, long stretches of difficulty, times where you feel anxious or unwell, and you just have to push through. I’ve had some hard knocks in my life, and I see it all as part of that marathon. — Ryan Davies

Throughout the run, Davies stopped at multiple landmarks, including an unexpected visitor at this time of year: Santa Claus. Explore his journey below.