Boulder man, nearly 90, runs 9 miles every other day
Marty Miles, a longtime Boulder resident who turns 90 next month, has run 9 miles every other day for the past 43 years.
Miles started running at age 47 after he had what he calls an “epiphany.” He was sitting on his recliner in his rec room while eating KFC when he felt a “tickling” on his elbows. The tickling was the grease from the chicken dripping down his arms.
Once he saw that, Miles made a quick decision to get up from his chair and see if he could still run. Miles said he made it, huffing and puffing, to the street light near his house before he had to stop.
After that moment, Miles decided he needed a lifestyle change. He began improving his diet and running more often until he gradually worked up to running 9 miles every other day.
“I just said to myself life wasn’t meant to be like this,” Miles said. “I decided, just very suddenly, to change my lifestyle, and I’ve never been happier.”
His daughter, Barb Miles, said he is an “inspiration.” She said she’s proud of him for sticking with it and for leading a healthy lifestyle for all those years.
“I’m just really proud of him,” she said.
As a mathematician, Miles ran a few calculations to put his runs to scale. Since he began running, Miles has run 2.7 times the circumference of the Earth, and he’s gone out to run approximately 8,000 times.
Miles credits his running for his great physical and mental health. He said he’s only had four colds in 43 years, has no arthritis and lost a significant amount of weight. He has minimal running injuries because he runs slow, and he has no dementia or underlying health issues.
“I just feel good all the time,” Miles said. “I think I’m probably a lot more able than I would be otherwise.”
All his running has started to attract community attention. Miles said he’s stopped by three or four people every time he goes out to run because people can see what he’s doing and his age.
“So many people now congratulate me and tell me that I’m inspiring for them, and it’s very nice,” Miles said.
Boulder resident Sherrill Schneider said she sees Miles out running frequently. She said she’ll beep her horn if she’s driving past him or will say hello while she’s out walking her dog.
“I just think it’s amazing he can run 9 miles every other day for years and years and years, and especially at almost 90 years old,” Schneider said.
Miles was athletic and active when he was younger. He said was on three U. S Navy basketball teams during his service and used to run a lot in grade school. Then, he stopped being active for a while as he got busy starting a family.
During his career, Miles worked as a mathematician for the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration for 36 years.
He’s also a researcher and author of seven books, including his most recent book that came out May 11. He said that book, about morality and freedom, was heavily influenced by the constancy of running in his life.
Miles doesn’t plan to stop running anytime soon. He said his key to sticking with running over the years has been to be careful not to overdo it. If others are wanting to start running, he advises to take it slow.
“Just don’t be so aggressive that you burn out,” Miles said. “That’s one thing I realized, that this is really good for you and I don’t ever want to have to stop.”