After suffering an Achilles injury in the 1993 Pittsburgh Marathon, Michael Bruno never thought he would run another 26.2 mile race again. He certainly never thought he’d be doing it blindfolded.

Yet in less than two weeks, the 44-year-old father of two will compete in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon on May 5 and run the entire hilly course without vision. He’s doing it all to raise money for charity, as well as awareness of what his vision impaired seven-year-old daughter deals with daily.

“I used to go for walks,” Bruno told USA TODAY Sports. “I shut my eyes and took 10 steps for the first time. Then I took 15. Then I tried for 20. And then I tried running with my eyes shut just to get a sense of what my daughter Cassie goes through.”

Currently the women’s volleyball coach at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Bruno had been an avid distance runner in college and his early twenties before calling it quits after his last marathon 20 years ago. (For full disclosure’s sake, Bruno’s brother Tony was the author’s college cross country and track coach at Duquesne University from 1994-97). In November, Bruno started running for the first time in two decades, putting in three miles several times a week.

Then he had a brainstorm.

“I decided why don’t we run for charity and take it a step further and deprive my primary sense of eyesight and run the marathon blindfolded,” Bruno said. “At the time I did it I might have bit off a little more than I could chew as I was running three or four miles a day.”

He texted the idea to his friend, Point Park head cross country coach Jim Irvin, as soon as he got off the trail after a run in early December.

The plan was hatched. Bruno launched a site, 26.2 Blindfolded, to raise awareness of his endeavor, along with charitable donations for the Vision Research ROPARD Foundation (VRRF), which “supports research, programs and services designed to prevent, treat and/or provide adaptive resources to patients of all ages affected by vision threatening retinal disease and their family members.”

Cassie Bruno, who also has autism in addition to her vision impairment, was born prematurely at 25 weeks, weighing only one pound and 14 ounces upon delivery. Because of the lack of development, both of her retinas were detached.

“I don’t think she fully understands what’s going on, but when the story was on, she was listening to it,” Bruno said. “The way she’s been reacting with me lately has been so much more affectionate. I think she understands more than we give her credit for.”

With Irvin as his seeing guide, Bruno has picked up his training, completing two ten mile training runs and a nearby half-marathon this past Saturday, averaging nearly an eight and a half minute per mile pace.

Running the distance of the full course, which coincidentally ends right near the Point Park campus, will certainly be a different animal. Although the idea of taking off his bandanna and seeing Cassie, along with his wife Jennifer and eldest daughter Carly, 9, has certainly added to his motivation.

“Since we decided to do this, the outpouring of support has been overwhelming,” Bruno said. “I’m so grateful for the kindness and generosity. Each day I wake up with a sense of purpose I’ve never had in my life before. It’s just amazing.”

Follow Chris Strauss on Twitter at chris_strauss.