The PEI Roadrunners Marathon - Beginnings

Volunteers were critical to the success of the marathon. More than 100 volunteers were present on the first race day and many others were on the planning committee of 19 for that year (listed below). 11 subcommittees worked on aspects such as course selection and set up, registration, communications, transportation, accommodations, equipment, timing, aid stations, officials, traffic control, medical services, publicity, and pre and post race events.

The initial organizing committee began its meetings in early 1979, and members included:

• Parker Lund, co-chair
• Don Harley, co-chair
• Ken Campbell
• Kay Lund
• Paul Hickey
• Ed Fraser
• Lee Forbes
• Jake Baird
• Ewen Stewart
• Barrie Stanfield
• Lance Miron
• Frank Johnston
• Foch McNally
• Freeman Churchill
• Margaret Stewart
• Gary Andrus
• Ernie Maidment
• Valerie Johnston
• Don Pridmore

The PEI Roadrunners Club undertook the marathon as its own project through financial and human resources it could raise on its own (hence the race title).

Although there was no title sponsor in the first two years, the event was supported by dozens of Island businesses and organizations. That list included:

• PEI Tourism Industry Association
• St. John Ambulance
• PEI Medical Society
• Government of PEI
• RCMP
• Charlottetown Police
• Sport PEI
• PEI and Canadian Track and Field Associations
• McDonald’s Restaurants (provided meeting space)
• and many other Island businesses provided equipment and services and sponsored awards

At that time it was customary for sporting events to have a “patron” - a honorary position - indicative of support from a distinguished individual. As the marathon developed the PEI Roadrunner Club used these positions, as well as that that of an official starter, to recognize people who had made significant contributions to running on Prince Edward Island.

Highlights by Year

More Moments from a Storied Marathon History

The origin of the marathon dates back to 490 BC in ancient Greece. Legend has it that during the wars with the Persians, the Athenians fought an important battle about 25 miles outside the capital city - against overwhelming odds they won the battle of Marathon and, in order to inform the people of Athens, they sent a messenger on foot back to the city. That messenger, Pheidipppides, raced to Athens where before the king, he delivered the crucial news - “rejoice, we conquer” he proclaimed and then dropped dead.

Many centuries later this feat was commemorated in the first Olympics of the modern era in Greece in 1896. A road race, known as the marathon, was held to retrace the original run from Marathon to Athens. The prestige of that event lead to many others including the founding of the Boston Marathon in 1897.

Canadians quickly established a formidable reputation as marathoners - three of the first five Boston Marathons were won by Canadians. In 1907 Indigenous runner Tom Longboat, perhaps Canada’s most storied marathoner, won in Boston. In PEI, Micheal Thomas established himself as one of Canada’s best distance runners prior to WWI - in 1911 he finished 26th at Boston.

In the early years of marathons, following the Athens Olympics, there was no official distance. The Boston Marathon, for example, was 24.5 miles (34.4 kilometers) for many years but other marathons were often shorter or longer. It was not until 1921 that the International body overseeing running agreed on the 26 miles, 385 yards (42.2 km) that we know today. Boston did not adopt this distance until 1938.

The most decorated marathon runner ever produced by the Maritimes was Cape Bretoner Johnny Miles:

• Winner of the 1926 and 1929 Boston Marathons
• 9th in the 1928 Olympics
• 3rd in the 1930 British Empire Games

Following in the footsteps of Micheal Thomas, another Island Mi’kmaq runner, John Paul, established himself as a premier distance runner in the 1930s. His record included a 13th place finish in the 1936 Boston Marathon. Like Thomas, Paul has been inducted into the PEI Sports Hall of Fame.

Canadians continued to do well in the marathon even as it moved beyond its “golden age” of the early part of the 20th century. Gerard Cote of Quebec, for instance, won four Boston Marathons from 1940 to 1948.

While less prominent as runners after the 1940s, Canada did produce at least two internationally outstanding runners in the period when the PEI Roadrunners Marathon was just getting started. Jerome Drayton of Ontario was a favorite in the 1976 Olympics, and his 6th place finish was viewed as a disappointment. He later won in Boston in 1977. Jacqueline Gareau of Quebec was the second woman to cross the finish line at Boston in 1980, but she was recognized a day later as the legitimate winner when it was confirmed that an imposter, Rosie Ruiz, had jumped into the race only a few miles from the finish.

There are few references to women distance runners prior to the PEI Roadrunners Marathon because for almost all of this period women were not allowed to run marathons. Boston did not permit women to enter until 1967 (although two women ran illegally in 1966 to show that it could be done). The Olympics only added a women’s marathon in 1984.

Marathons had not been common events for many years prior to the 1970s. When they were held, the emphasis was more on competitive runners rather than mass participation, but with American Frank Shorter’s Olympic victory in 1972, and a gathering fitness boom in the 1970s, the time had come by 1979 to stage a marathon in PEI.