Rob Matthews inherited a congenital condition from his father and when he was 11 years old his sight started to deteriorate. By the age of 20 he was totally blind. Instead of feeling sorry for himself, he turned to running - now he is the fastest blind man in the world.

Rob has won 29 international gold medals, set 22 world records and been awarded with the MBE by the Queen for Services to Sport for the Disabled. He has skied cross-country in Norway, cycled across the UK and Europe, driven a racing car and plays golf, football and cricket.

So what next? Competing in the Marathon des Sables through the Sahara Desert and skiing the 650 km marathon to the North Pole are two of his ambitions, but to start with he’ll represent New Zealand for the first time in the World Paralympic Triathlon this September.

Running Blind is Rob’s incredibly brave story of living life in the dark. He has overcome not only the challenge of losing his sight but also losing his father to cancer and coping with the sudden death of his first wife to a blockage in the brain at the age of 38.

But Rob is one of life’s genuine people who truly believes anything is possible if you set your mind to it and everyone can strive to be extraordinary.

He is fearless and will take on any new challenges including moving halfway across the world from the UK to New Zealand to follow his heart and marry Auckland interior designer Sarah Kerr, and Rob became a father for the first time in 2007 when his son, Thomas, was born.

His story is unique and an example to others to stay focused on their goals and not let physical barriers, mental barriers or stereotypes stop them from achieving all that is possible in their lives. Running Blind will inspire people to chase their dreams and never give up.

Running Blind is available from all leading New Zealand bookstores.