Even though The County Marathon’s new race director Brian Mclean is legally blind, one thing you could never accuse him of is lack of vision. “I want this to be Prince Edward County’s biggest, most popular, most spectacular community event.”

And Mclean wants to do it with style.

For a start the race will feature a free-for-all Crystal Palace registration and pre-race expo, where runners can receive everything from injury advice to organic butter tarts to Buddhist blessings. Runners will receive stuffed goody bags with specially designed sweat-wicking t-shirts, plenty of sponsor and local products, and, lastly, but most needed: recovery and chocolate bars. The next day, the magnificent, locally designed finisher medals will be another highlight for weary, elated runners at the end of their journey.

The most important reward the race can supply won’t be given away freely, however. It will need to be earned.

For the 500 odd marathon racers, The County Marathon is an official Boston Marathon qualifier, which means it represents a chance at what may be the ultimate runners’ marathoning achievement: a registered Boston eligible time for your age group. Even then, the Boston organizers often cut the required times to match the number of runners allowed. That means, despite the global demand and a defined time minimum, it’s a privilege only 14% of female marathoners and 13% of male marathoners ever achieve.

To assist in the marathoner’s pursuit of a qualifying time The County Marathon is a very rare, Boston-like, “point-to point” race, meaning the magnificent fall County scenery never repeats and its overall profile is race time friendly flat.

In the few years since Mclean took over the event in 2024 it has grown over 150% and now will likely see more than 500 runners at the 42.2k race start line. The entire slate of races, including the full and half marathon, 2-5 person marathon relay, the 5K and the new Kids 1K Run is expected to attract more than 2000 athletes this year.

McLean shakes his head and demurs, “It’s not just me…

“…one of the great things about the County is our huge community spirit.”

“We’ve got over 200 volunteers already signed up. We’ve got 20+ water stations, all crewed by different community groups. We’ve got the Junior A Wellington Dukes and the Special Olympics Track Club handing out finishers’ medals. Best of all I’ve got an amazing volunteer committee that makes it all work.”

Reflecting that determination and optimism, when McLean first received the devastating diagnosis that he had an incurable condition called retinitis pigmentosa (RP), he refused to let the condition define him. Despite knowing he would, eventually, lose his sight completely (he is now at 1%), he also refused to stop running. Living in Toronto at the time, he formed a running club for those with sight challenges and those with none, hoping to match sighted guide runners with those in need. It worked. McLean called it The Achilles Track Club of Canada, inspired by and modelled after the original Achilles Track Club of New York for sight-challenged runners founded by Dick Traum in New York. Traum not only fueled McLean, the American was also a major motivation for Canadian icon Terry Fox and his Marathon of Hope.

“Dick was an inspiration to me,” says Mclean. “We became and stayed great friends until his death at 83 a couple of years ago.”

But with a club came anticipated and unanticipated costs. To fund the non-profit club, McLean decided a funding race might be a good idea. When he consulted the calendar, there seemed to be an opening.

St. Patrick’s Day was a natural.

Almost three decades later, McLean’s Toronto St. Patrick’s Day Race has become a Toronto classic, attracting 1,800+ runners annually for its 5K and 10K events.

A place in Picton and a deepening love for the area later, Brian noticed a Facebook posting on a Picton community page. The owners and organizers of the venerable County Marathon were seeking a new director. They were looking for an “out” just as McLean was looking for an “in.” It was a match made in heaven, or, as locals know it, The County.

Contact was made, contracts were signed and thousands of runners were able to meet the glorious challenge of completing a marathon while experiencing the area at its absolute finest, most colourful and most hospitable. And, perhaps, most generous. Last year The County Marathon enabled a $11,000 donation to the new Picton hospital.

Not a bad run, so far.

— by Konrad Doerrbecker