A blind artist is preparing to become the first person to finish a marathon while using artificial intelligence eyewear for guidance.

The Brighton Marathon will see Clarke Reynolds, who works professionally as Braille creative Mr Dot, supported by Meta AI spectacles.

These gadgets connect to a programme that mobilises volunteers worldwide to help individuals who are blind or have partial sight with daily tasks.

The service, Be My Eyes, helps users find lost objects in their residence, choose clothing, and recognise particular items on retail shelves.

Nevertheless, Mr Reynolds aims to be the first to utilise this technology for completing a 26.2-mile race.

The 45-year-old competitor from Portsmouth, representing the Fight for Sight charity, explained that upon receiving these glasses and the application, he considered how he might push the boundaries of what this technology could offer the visually impaired community.

He decided to run another marathon with complete strangers providing audio guidance.

The artist stays connected with people across the globe through his AI eyewear.

The charity representative hopes his challenge will combat misconceptions about visual impairment and beliefs about what blind individuals can accomplish.

He was born with the condition retinitis pigmentosa and describes his visual experience as similar to being underwater, where he can only make out shapes and silhouettes.

Mr Reynolds began using Rayban Meta AI glasses the previous year and has also employed them during gallery visits, receiving detailed verbal descriptions of artworks narrated by Dame Judi Dench.

By linking the application to his glasses, the artist issues a voice command to activate Be My Eyes and becomes matched with a helper ready to assist, who can see through Mr Reynolds’s spectacles.

He clarified that he is not a superhero. He is simply like everyone else, except he has found an alternative way to complete a marathon, representing a new approach to living.

Technology represents a groundbreaking advancement for those experiencing sight loss. Many treatments are appearing, but people cannot simply wait for cures.

Individuals must live life fully. He always says he embraces being blind and accepts who he is.

He does not consider himself disabled, just blind.

In preparation for his marathon, more than one hundred helpers have taken part. His inaugural volunteer was a woman living in Virginia, United States.

Additional supporters include a Scottish woman on holiday in Thailand and a former naval officer stationed in Canada.

Mr Reynolds will tackle the Brighton Marathon while wearing AI glasses.

He explained that he has genuine volunteers who observe through his glasses, essentially seeing from his perspective.

They help by pointing out obstacles such as bins or parked vehicles, while also holding engaging conversations.

He observed that typically volunteers become involved because a family member has visual impairment.

Mr Reynolds previously finished the London Marathon with a physical guide and declared he would never do it again because of difficulties with training, which demanded another person’s constant presence and created problems like mismatched running paces.

By contrast, he finds remote support far more convenient, completing circuits of roughly 0.8 miles around his local area.

He now maintains his own rhythm without pressure.

Runners become absorbed in conversation, discussing subjects from athletics to weather conditions, especially when participants are from overseas.

He enjoys interacting with different individuals from around the world.

Fight for Sight is arranging volunteers, including family members, friends and potentially surprising celebrity supporters, to guide Mr Reynolds to the finish line, with an aim to complete the race within six hours.

His fundraising target, originally set at £750, has increased to £2,000 following significant contributions, including donations from Be My Eyes.

The Braille artist also raises awareness through his creative work in an enjoyable and imaginative way.

His exhibitions have travelled from America to India, and he is planning an art installation for the following year featuring a shop environment where all text is rendered in Braille, including branding, currency and signage.

He stated it would represent his Tracey Emin moment.

The Brighton Marathon 2026 is scheduled for April 12.