Jackie King lost her sight to a genetic eye disease, but that hasn't stopped her from chasing one of the most demanding marathon courses on Earth. The Baltimore woman, who is legally blind, is training with guide runner Avi Bregman to tackle the Athens Marathon, retracing the ancient route from the coastal town of Marathon into Greece's capital.
From New York's Streets to Athens' Hills
King and Bregman are partnered through Achilles International, the nonprofit that pairs athletes with disabilities with trained volunteer guides, and the pair is promoting an upcoming fundraiser tied to the trip, according to CBS News Baltimore. The two are preparing for a course that bears little resemblance to the flat five boroughs King has run before. King completed the TCS New York City Marathon in 2025, and CBS News Baltimore reports she finished the 26.2-mile course in just over five hours at age 66 alongside Achilles guide runners, marking her fifth completed marathon.
King was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa in 2017, a genetic condition that causes progressive vision loss, and was declared legally blind in 2024, according to UMBC.
A Graphic Designer Turned Psychology Researcher
Before vision loss reshaped her path, King built a graphic design business in Baltimore in her 20s. She later earned a doctorate in human services psychology from UMBC in 2009 and now works as associate director of Undergraduate Research Training Opportunities there, the university's own account details. She transitioned into psychology research after visual impairment made graphic design and mixing paints increasingly difficult, according to the same UMBC profile.
Every Saturday morning, King trains at Patterson Park with volunteer guides from Baltimore's Achilles International chapter. Runners and guides wear bright neon yellow shirts to stay visible and keep the group together, CBS Baltimore's report notes, with sighted volunteers running alongside visually impaired athletes to provide real-time verbal and directional cues. Achilles International was founded in 1983 and has since expanded to 18 countries, supporting more than 150,000 athletes with disabilities worldwide, according to Achilles International.
The Steepest Stretch of an Ancient Route
The guide-runner partnership between King and Bregman becomes especially critical on the Athens course, which follows the historic 42.2-kilometer route from Marathon into Athens, tied to the fabled messenger story of a Greek battle victory. The event offers multiple distance categories.
The full 26.2-mile course gains 1,089 feet, most of it in a brutal eight-mile section ending around kilometer 31, according to a comparison published on Medium. That grueling middle uphill section demands specialized elevation training and steady pacing between runner and guide, the same account notes — a dynamic far different from the flatter terrain King navigated in New York.
A Fundraiser in Hampden
Back home, King and Bregman are promoting a fundraiser scheduled for October 10 at Hampden Yards, a beer garden on Hickory Avenue just off West 36th Street in Baltimore's Hampden neighborhood. The venue operates out of a converted historic church property behind Co-Balt Workspace, according to Baltimore Fishbowl.
For King, the Athens course now represents the next test of a partnership built one Saturday morning at Patterson Park at a time.
