Copyright CBS News
A 66-year-old Baltimore woman who had lost her sight and was declared legally blind completed the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday. Jackie King ran alongside guides Emmeline and Gabe from the Achilles International Baltimore chapter. King said the "New York City Marathon was a challenge," but she was glad she took it on. WJZ covered King as she trained for the world's longest marathon. King was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a rare inherited disease that causes progressive vision loss. It began with trouble adjusting to dim light, then slowly narrowed her field of vision until, in 2024, she was declared legally blind. "I'm gradually losing my sight," King told WJZ. "At first, I didn't understand what was happening. The movie theater would seem darker, and my eyes wouldn't adjust." Dr. Stephen Pappas, with the LifeBridge Health Krieger Eye Institute, said there's no cure for the disease, which damages the light-sensitive cells of the retina. Finding the right perspective King turned her focus toward running and running long distances. She told WJZ that her first race ignited a spark that led to her love for running. As her vision got worse, King said she missed obstacles, once tripping and falling during a half-marathon. That's when she realized she needed help to keep running safely. "I saw other runners and said, 'I want to run a marathon,' even though I'd never run more than a mile," she said. King said running marathons is about perspectives, rather than the miles. "I don't want to be seen as a disabled athlete," King said. "I'm an athlete with a disability. It's a choice to keep going." Confidence to run King found Achilles International, a group that pairs athletes with disabilities with volunteer running guides. On Saturday mornings, she meets her guides, like Emmeline Leggett, and dozens of others at Patterson Park. Each runner and guide wears a bright yellow shirt, a symbol that no one runs alone. Samantha Cinnick, the program director of Achilles Internationals, said that the mission of inclusion is what drives the organization. "I really loved Achilles' mission and I wanted to be involved with making sure that anybody in the community could come and feel like they could get involved in sports," Cinnick said. "I've been with Achilles since the start of the Baltimore chapter," Leggett said. "It's about creating community and trust." King said she built confidence to run and built up her endurance to run long races. She spent 20 weeks training for the New York City Marathon after winning the lottery to run. "It's awesome to see her run so well after everything she's been through," her daughter, Demerise, told WJZ. "I'm so proud of her."
