La cruzada de Thomas Eller para convertirse en Six Star Finisher

Imagine the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge on the first Sunday in November. Lines of runners crowd onto one end; there’s a caged energy that’s palpable. Voices chatter about race pace, the race director gives final instructions and well wishes, the cannon booms, and Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” sounds over the loudspeakers.

Imagine not being able to hear any of it.

Standing in the crowd of runners, Thomas Eller’s heart pounds, his feet itch to bound forward — just like every other participant who’s spent months preparing for this moment. His eyes prove more perceptive than most, as they must interpret enough information to move through the world around him.

“Hearing loss is a part of me and I have had to make adaptations along the way but it hasn't stopped me from doing anything I want to do or achieve,” says Eller, a deaf marathoner. “I have a vision that people who are deaf and hard-of-hearing will learn they can do anything that they dream.”

The Deaf community worldwide needs more deaf role models, Eller says.

Eller, 42, lives in Essen, Germany, speaks German and English, and also communicates with German and American Sign Language. He can read lips and sometimes wears hearing aids

He plans to become the first deaf-born person to earn the Abbott Six Star Finisher Medal. To date, only about 770 runners have earned this prestigious medal for finishing the Boston, New York City, Berlin, London, Chicago, and Tokyo marathons. Eller will earn the medal when he crosses the finish line of the 2023 Tokyo Marathon.

“This will be the pinnacle of my career as a deaf marathoner,” he says. “I want to go out there, run marathons and half marathons worldwide and say, ‘I can't hear a damn thing but look and see what I have gone and done. And if I have done it, so can you.’”

Marathoning Stokes a Competitive Commitment

If an American mantra can be used to describe Eller’s introduction to marathon running, then “go big or go home” suits. He debuted at the 2018 Petra Desert Marathon, which tours the dusty, hilly, shade-free Jordanian desert with a temperature average of 95ºF during the race.

His internal fire stoked, Eller tested his mettle at the opposite climate extreme at the 2019 Polar Circle Marathon in Greenland's icy tundra. This time, 26.2 miles wouldn’t do — the event features a marathon on Saturday and half-marathon on Sunday.

Eller notched 11 marathon finishes in 2019, including his first sub-3:00 effort at the Milan Marathon — in fact, he completed seven marathons under 2:55 that year, including Chicago in 2:49 and New York City in 3:05 — with a cold, to boot.

He recalls feeling overwhelmed by the positivity of the people in the Bronx during the race. One kid ran with him for a bit and, recognizing that Eller is deaf, signed, "You are amazing."

“This truly made my TCS New York City Marathon experience so special,” Eller recalls.

Eller also ran the 2021 TCS New York City Marathon (pictured above and below) and the 2022 United Airlines NYC Half and RBC Brooklyn Half (pictured at top). This past May he notched a ninth-place marathon finish at the 24th Summer Deaflympics.

A Lifestyle of Planning for the Next Race

A teacher to deaf and deaf-blind children, Eller rises at 4:00 a.m. to run and go to the gym before heading to school. When class wraps up around 1:30 p.m., he stretches, heads to the track for a workout or tempo effort, or cross-trains with aqua-jogging or cycling. Twenty-milers take place on Sundays and help bring the weekly mileage to 85–100 most weeks.

When he’s not training or teaching, Eller enjoys spending time with friends and family, hiking, reading, and tinkering in the kitchen. “Cooking and baking helps me recharge my batteries and relax,” he says. “Plus, it’s a huge benefit to prepare clean and healthy food.”

This year has been a sabbatical one for him, but in other years the school principal allows him to take the necessary days off to travel for races. Eller pays it forward by regaling his students and friends with his race stories. Each country explored through the lens of a race adds another plank to the bridge he hopes to build between the Deaf and hearing communities.

“Deaf people in my community see that I can travel, get in touch with hearing people, make friendships with them and build a bridge between the Deaf and hearing world,” he says. “I am no longer ashamed of my disability; I am proud of who I am, proud of what I have overcome and managed so far, and proud of my culture.”

How to Show Your Support for Deaf Runners

Before Tokyo 2023, Eller plans to run the 2022 Berlin, London, Chicago, and New York City marathons.

If you see Eller running, throw both hands up, elbows bent and hands twisting at the wrists. This is Deaf applause. Eller appreciates a prominent sign or getting clapped on the shoulder to get his attention. Just like anyone else, he’d prefer to be recognized rather than ignored.

“When I see Deaf applause, this is a show of respect and it makes me smile,” he says. “Sometimes they also sign, and that pushes me forward, motivates me to get faster. I love the camaraderie on the roads and I don’t feel disabled or struggle with communication barriers.”

How Races Can Be More Welcoming and Inclusive of Deaf Runners

Eller offers these suggestions for race organizers and runners:

• Include subtitles (closed captions) in instructional videos and social media.
• Use sign-language interpreters at races. "I don't understand the loudspeaker announcements and have to ask people around me what the announcements were," he says.
• Allow deaf runners in the first corral at races so they can lip-read announcements or see the sign-language interpreter.
• Have a chat option on race websites.
• Runners who are not deaf should not be afraid to get in touch with deaf runners. "It's very easy and simple to start a conversation with them," he says. "Just give them a gentle tap on the shoulder so they know you want to talk to them. Look at them face to face so they can read your lips and speak slowly." If you can, sign. "Deaf people will be happy and they will reward you with a smile."