At the 2024 Zion 100-Mile Challenge, where the jagged red cliffs meet the endless desert sky, it isn’t just the elevation that will take your breath away. The views are among some of the most majestic… probably. David “Dee” Sefcik crossed the finish line of 100 miles—a first in his running career—and he had done it as a legally blind athlete.
“Crossing the 100-mile finish line was euphoric!” Dee said, grinning from ear to ear. “My two kids crossed with me. It was wonderful having my family with me. I plan on coming back and doing this again.”
For Dee, running has never been about ease—it’s been about pushing limits, finding new edges, adjusting for his circumstances, and proving to himself that he is capable of more.
Before stepping onto the course in Zion, he had never raced beyond the Marathon distance. Running four times that distance included more complications than just the added mileage. Dee saw an opportunity that he had previously thought impossible.
“I was excited for this style of event,” he said. “The structure made it possible for me to run 100 miles!”
The looped format and the ability to return to a home base between miles meant Dee could adapt, strategize, and push himself in ways he never had before. But just because something is possible doesn’t make it easy.
Running Without Sight, Running With Purpose
As a legally blind runner, Dee has had to navigate a world that often isn’t built for him. He has to rely on different senses, heightened awareness, and sheer trust in his abilities.
But he’s never let that stop him.
Organizations like the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) have played a huge role in helping athletes like Dee break barriers in endurance sports. CAF provides funding, equipment, and support to adaptive athletes, ensuring that a physical disability never becomes a reason someone can’t pursue their dreams. The foundation even helped sponsor Dee’s entry into the Zion 100-Mile Challenge, making it possible for him to take on this monumental goal.
Dee didn’t just show up to Zion to test his limits—he showed up to prove that those limits don’t define him.
If you ask most ultra-runners why they take on distances like this, they’ll talk about the suffering—the moments when everything in their body begs them to stop, but they push forward anyway.
But for Dee, Zion was about something bigger than just the miles.
“I enjoyed the camaraderie as well as all the support that came with the event,” he said. “It was the most fun anyone can have running a hundred miles!”
For 100 miles, he wasn’t running alone.
At any given moment, there was someone beside him—another athlete sharing in the experience, a volunteer offering encouragement, a crew member making sure he had what he needed to keep going, a coach sharing trail miles with him. The community that formed around Dee was as strong as the ground beneath his feet.
And by the time the event ended, he wasn’t just a finisher—he was part of a family of endurance athletes who had shared something unforgettable.
“I left having made friends and having accomplished something I’d never done before!”
Ultra-marathons aren’t just about physical endurance—they’re a mental battle. At some point, every runner faces that moment where they have to decide if they’re going to stop or keep moving.
Dee was no exception.
His body ached. His legs begged for rest. The miles seemed endless.
But he kept going.
One step after another. One mile at a time.
Because when you run blind, you learn to trust yourself in ways that others don’t have to. You learn to listen to your body and to sense the world in a way that isn’t dictated by sight but by determination.
And that determination carried him all the way to 100 miles.
Some finish lines are personal. Others are shared.
For Dee, this was both.
As he approached the end of his final lap, his children ran out to meet him. They grabbed his hands, and together, they ran toward the finish line.
It wasn’t just his moment—it was theirs too.
A moment of triumph. A moment of joy. A moment that proved that no matter what obstacles life throws in front of you, you can keep moving forward.
“Crossing the 100-mile finish line was euphoric!” he said later.
And the best part? He’s not done yet.
“I plan on coming back and doing this again.”
More Than a Race—A Statement
Dee’s journey at Zion wasn’t just about completing a race. It was about proving what’s possible when determination meets opportunity.
With the support of CAF, the camaraderie of fellow runners, and the belief that he was capable of more than he ever imagined, Dee didn’t just run 100 miles.
He shattered expectations.
He redefined his own limits.
And he found a place where he belonged—not just as a legally blind athlete, but as a runner, as a competitor, as a finisher.
The Zion 100-Mile Challenge wasn’t just a race for Dee.
It was proof that no finish line is out of reach.
