Age is just a number, at least that’s how 73-year-old central Florida resident Jim “The Marathon Man” Miller views aging. As an American Liver Foundation (ALF) volunteer, the 2024 Liver Life Challenge Global Ambassador and one of four runners participating in the upcoming Tokyo Run this month, Jim demonstrates that exercise and a healthy lifestyle is the best way to combat liver disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD).
Miller has been involved with ALF for 26 years after losing his father to liver cancer in 1999 that was caused by undiagnosed metabolic dysfunction-associated liver disease (MASLD). He has dedicated his life to running in memory of his late father, and in honor of the more than 100 million Americans affected by liver disease. (Miller is even affectionately known at ALF as the “Marathon Man” because of his inspiring dedication to help others through running.)
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About Jim Miller:
- Jim “the Marathon Man” Miller is training to participate in the Tokyo Run on Sunday, March 1 to raise funds for ALF. The Tokyo Run Team has four members, including Miller. This is ALF’s first time participating in this iconic world major marathon.
- Jim ran his first marathon (the Boston Marathon) at age 49, in 2000, in memory of his dad to highlight MASLD – the fastest growing liver ailment today! Jim did this run in 3:49:50.
- Miller has run each “centennial marathon” with ALF – 100, 200 and now 300. In between the 200 M and 240 M, he also did the 4th Daytona 100 (those three races were the equivalent of 20 marathons). It took Jim 14 years to run his first 100 marathons, seven years to run his second 100 and now just three and a half years to hit 300 marathons!
- In 2024, Jim ran 34 marathons, including five 100-mile marathons.
- Jim ran his 300th marathon in the 129th Boston Marathon held on April 21, 2025. It was his fourth major run (for a total of six FunRaisers totaling $102,361) for donations to ALF. Jim was the only runner of 30,000 overall Boston Marathon runners who was 72, running his 17th Boston Marathon.
Jim continues to break down stereotypes of what it means to age and be healthy. His dedication to running in honor of his father and on behalf of those living with some form of liver disease is a beautiful example of turning the pain of loss into the power to inspire others.
