It seems such a short time ago that we shared Run, Jim Miller, Run, a post celebrating our friend Jim Miller’s 100th marathon in Boston in 2014. And now, here he is again, a mere seven years later, not just running — but finishing well — his 200th in Chicago, October 10, 2021.

It’s an accomplishment few can celebrate. By completing marathons in each of the 50 United States and now logging in his 200th race total, he’s only one of 265 people in the world who can boast these remarkable marathon stats.

In addition, Jim’s a fundraiser. In honor of his dad who passed away from liver cancer, Jim amazingly raised $17,462 for the National Kidney Foundation.

Jim has told us he began this journey at age 49 running his first marathon in 2000. So with that statistic, we’ve come to this conclusion: it’s definitely possible to do what you want to do, if you keep at it and press on, as Jim has done.

On the afternoon before the race — October 9th, 2021 — we all rode a city bus out to Chicago’s McCormick Place to begin the preliminaries: picking up a number and commemorative shirt from sponsor Bank of America.

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But the whole ordeal was complicated by the sheer volume of people waiting for clearance We meandered through at least five long lines inside (about a two-hour process) after showing proof of COVID vaccinations and personal IDs for entrance.

But on race day, all was good. The race kicked off at various times (Jim was in the 8:30 starting bunch), winding 26.2 miles through all 19 neighborhoods of Chicago.

Our job was to cheer him along at Mile Marker 4 and 12 where relatives of runners, fans of marathons in general, and good friends like us lined the sidewalks and streets of the Gold Coast neighborhood and Old Town neighborhood.

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At the end, we headed to Grant Park where Jim and 26,111 other finishers ended their runs. We gathered in an area closed to friends and relatives due to COVID. But hugs and celebrations commenced as runners limped down stairs and fell (literally!) into the arms of loved ones.

If you’re as impressed by runners as we are, you’re probably asking why, how, and for how long — just as we were. Little do we understand about what makes runners tick or set long-standing goals for themselves. We just admire. And celebrate.

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In fact, we marvel that anyone can run even one marathon, let alone 200 of them!

Congratulations, Jim Miller. And thanks for sharing your well-run 200th marathon in Chicago with us!

Travel to see a marathon whenever you can,

Bert and Rusha

For more about Jim Miller and his marathon fever, check out these posts.

• Run, Jim Miller, Run
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Victory in Boston
• Five big reasons we loved Boston Marathon 2014
• Discover Prompt 17: No distance running in Boston this April

And, if you’re thinking of running Chicago Marathon 2022, check out Bank of America‘s information here.