A blind Lebanese man just made history at the Beirut Marathon

On Sunday, Rabih Jammal made history during the 15th edition of the Beirut Marathon, becoming the first fully blind Lebanese person to complete the 42-kilometer course. 

The 31-year-old law professor ran side-by-side with Mary Kleyany, his running partner and trainer. 

"I’ve been dreaming of this for 14 years," Jammal said. 

Jammal and Kleyany ran with one goal in mind: to complete the marathon. 

"Today we didn’t talk about the kilometers or the pace, we just ran," Kleyany told The Daily Star.

Jammal lost his sight when he was 16-years-old after he was diagnosed with glaucoma, a disease that damages the optic nerve, leading to blindness in some cases.

Jammal is not the first blind man to run the Beirut Marathon, though he is the first Lebanese to do so. 

Jordanian Suhail al-Nashnash completed the 42 km course in 2014, becoming the first blind Arab runner to do so. 

Last year, Jammal participated in a 7 kilometer race, in what was his first time running a distance competitively. 

That's when Kleyany offered to help him prepare for the 42 km race. 

"I told him, if you want to do the marathon I’m willing to run it with you," she said.

To do so, Kleyany underwent a lengthy research process to learn the technique of running alongside a blind man, according to The Daily Star.

"The best way to run with a blind man is to give him trust. When he trusts you, he runs with you," she said. 

Kleyany has voiced her commitment and support to Jammal through and through. 

"I promised him [I would] stay as his vision all my life," Kleyany said.

When Jammal lost his eyesight at the age of sixteen, he "refused to give up, for my mother, my family and myself ... I couldn't give up and so my journey began where it could have ended," he once told StepFeed. 

Determined to continue his education in the field of law, Jammal realized it was possible with the help of his mother - a woman who spent years recording herself on tape while she read tens of law books, in an effort to turn his dream into reality. 

"This is how I studied, I would replay the tapes and listen to her voice. Without her, none of this would have been possible, she made an incredible sacrifice for me, I am so grateful." 

After graduation, Rabih, was unable to find a job, however this changed after his story was featured in the docu-series, Zyara. 

After the episode came out, Rabih was contacted by a law firm who offered him a job. 

"I want people with disabilities to know that the real barrier between them and their dreams is choice not circumstance. We are able to do anything we set our minds to and able to be active participants in creating change in our societies," he told StepFeed. 

Wassim Ahmad Bzeih dedicated his 8 kilometer walk during the marathon to cancer patients. 

Donning a hospital gown and surgical mask while pulling an IV pole, he paid tribute to his mother, father and friends who were all diagnosed with the illness. 

"I changed my appearance to send a message to tell people it is time we stand with all the cancer patients," Bzeih said in a video posted on his Facebook page.

"I hope all those who have someone in their life diagnosed with cancer to support the patient, stand by their side and live happy moments with them," he added. 

"Why do we always have to see the person as a 'sick patient,'" he asked, urging people to see those diagnosed with the disease for who they really are.