Stratford-upon-Avon is best known as the birthplace of playwright William Shakespeare, whose works have been told and retold for centuries. But this scenic town 100 miles northwest of London could be the sight of another tale worth retelling, that of Simon Wheatcroft.

At noon local time, 90 people took off at the starting line of the Cotswold 100, a grueling 100-mile ultramarathon that sneaks its way north through the British countryside before circling back toward south Warwickshire. Wheatcroft, however, won’t be able to soak in all the scenery as he slogs his way along the course. That’s not because his attention will be fixated on the task on the hand — finishing the race in the maximum 30-hour time limit — although it certainly will be.

You see, Wheatcroft is legally blind and has been so for the last 11 years. He has a degenerative eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa, which directly affects the retina, so his eyes can’t properly convert visual cues to nerve signals that get processed in the brain. While somewhat genetic, the condition affects roughly one in 4,000 people in the United States, according to the National Institutes of Health. There is no cure or effective treatment.

For the last few months, he’s been dutifully keeping Wired.com readers apprised of his ever-increasing stamina, how his nutrition regimen has evolved, the hunt for a new team that will help pace him through the event. Finally, the time has come to run the race, which won’t be easy.

Yes, the course starts off at a manageable 112 feet above sea level, but it’ll go as high as 1,037 feet by mile 18, a 925-foot elevation differential. That’s the high point of the race, and from there the hills will be frequent, although not too demanding. The last major obstacle will come just after Wheatcroft passes mile 80 — his own Heartbreak Hill, if you will — as he’ll experience a 400-foot-plus incline in less than three miles.

Today’s weather calls for temperatures reaching 66 degrees under partly cloudy skies, although rain is slated for Saturday, when contestants will start crossing the finish line.

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Throughout the entire training progress, Wheatcroft has dedicated much of his time to sharing his story with readers around the world, both on Wired.com and his personal sites, AndAdapt.com and Blind100.com. That’s not changing today, even as he’s in the middle of running. In addition to sending out pictures and video updates on his @moochoo Twitter account, Wheatcroft will have reader questions relayed to him by his team on the ground. Just include the hashtag #blind100 and you might just get an answer back from Wheatcroft in real-time.

You can also follow along, graphically speaking, since Wheatcroft will be using RunKeeper’s livecasting service. Here, you’ll find real-time updates on how Wheatcroft is progressing along the route, as well as a quick look at whatever challenges elevation may play in his remaining miles.

Wheatcroft’s story has inspired many readers since he started blogging and tweeting, but it’s all come down to today, just a few more hills to climb.

And when Simon crosses the finish line Saturday, that will certainly be a sight to behold.

Photo: seanvenn/Flickr/CC