A 71-year-old man with Parkinson’s disease is running 100 marathons in 100 consecutive days across the United States — and he’s almost finished.
Larry Grogin set off from his home in northern New Jersey back in March, on his 71st birthday, with one foot in front of the other and a goal that most healthy athletes wouldn’t dare attempt.
His destination: Los Angeles, roughly 2,600 miles away.
What he’s already proven — with 78 days behind him and the finish line in sight — is that a Parkinson’s diagnosis doesn’t get to write the ending of your story.
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The Mission Behind Every Mile
Grogin isn’t doing this for the glory, the medals, or the social media following he’s quietly amassed along the way.
Every grueling step is dedicated to raising awareness — and real money — for the Davis Phinney Foundation, an organization focused on helping people with Parkinson’s disease live well.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
This run is not about saying ‘Larry is so strong and mentally tough.’ It’s about people who feel defeated realizing that if a 71-year-old can do this, they can do anything.
So far, he’s raised approximately $160,000 toward his $250,000 fundraising goal — money that will go toward practical, life-changing support for Parkinson’s patients, including helping those who’ve lost their ability to drive get transportation to the gym.
“Things that some of us are lucky to take for granted,” he says quietly.
A Diagnosis That Changed Everything — And Nothing
Grogin was already a seasoned marathoner and Ironman competitor when Parkinson’s entered his life in 2019.
The diagnosis forced him to rethink not just how he ran, but how he lived.
Up until that point in time, I was able to muscle through life, and fight to succeed at things. Parkinson’s taught me a very different lesson of learning how to live with it, not beat it.
He leans on a quote from Abraham Lincoln to describe his philosophy — that Lincoln destroyed his enemies by making them his friends.
Grogin took that same approach with Parkinson’s. Rather than fighting his diagnosis head-on, he found a way to move forward *alongside* it.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
What 100 Marathons Actually Looks Like
Each morning follows the same rhythm: wake up in a new hotel, spend hours warming up on the treadmill, eat breakfast, then hit the open road.
That warmup isn’t optional — it’s essential, and it’s something Grogin wants more people to understand.
With a normal body, you can warm up in a couple of minutes, but it’s hours for a Parkinson’s patient. Once you understand that, it’s a secret passcode.
He often logs up to a half marathon on the treadmill before he ever steps outside — all of it counting toward his daily 26.2 miles.
Early in the day, his gait shows the unmistakable effects of Parkinson’s. By the final mile, though, something shifts.
We’ve been posting on social media the last mile every day, and I get emotional when it looks normal.
The physical toll was brutal in the beginning. Blisters, sunburn, aching muscles — the early days were a war of attrition.
The blisters became calluses, the sunburn became a suntan, and the muscles became conditioned.
His biggest complaint these days? The hotel breakfast.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
If I died and went to purgatory, they’re going to serve me waffles.
“Run Larry Run” — A Nation Rallies Behind Him
Word travels fast when someone is doing something extraordinary.
As Grogin has made his way through Kansas, Colorado, Ohio, and beyond, communities have shown up in ways that have left him genuinely moved.
Railroad workers in Colorado cheered him on. In Dayton, Ohio, hundreds of people gathered at a party held in his honor. Strangers on quiet streets call out “Run Larry Run” as he passes.
Perhaps most powerfully, fellow Parkinson’s patients have been finding him along the route — on mountain trails, at odd hours, in unexpected places.
I’ve had people meet me on mountaintops and trails and the oddest of places. I think the message is getting through, that they’re the primary catalyst in their healing, and they’re the ones who can make a difference.
Movement Is Medicine — His Advice for Parkinson’s Patients
As a chiropractor and acupuncturist by profession, Grogin brings a clinical perspective to his unconventional approach.
While many experts advocate for short, explosive movements like boxing for Parkinson’s patients, he credits his long, slow daily runs as the cornerstone of his own well-being.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
His training ahead of this journey included swimming, biking, strength work, and — perhaps surprisingly — pickleball, which he describes not as physical exercise but as mental training for his reflexes. “(No insult meant to the enthusiasts,” he adds.)
For anyone living with Parkinson’s who feels like their options have narrowed, Grogin has a direct message.
If people around you don’t think you’re doing too much, then you’re not doing enough. Movement is medicine and is the best thing in the world for Parkinson’s patients.
He believes deeply that Parkinson’s patients carry more power over their own healing than they’re often led to believe — and that relief comes when people realize they aren’t powerless.
Almost There — And Already Changed Forever
Los Angeles is close now. The hotel waffles are nearly behind him.
But after 78 consecutive marathons, the idea of a rest day feels almost foreign to Grogin at this point.
If I didn’t do a marathon tomorrow, I would be squirming in my seat, wondering what to do with myself.
The smiles, the waves from passing cars, the Parkinson’s patients who’ve traveled miles just to run alongside him for a stretch — those are the moments he’ll carry longest.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
What’s been most special has been the smiles and the people waving from their cars, but I haven’t quite cracked the code of why so many people have said they are inspired. It’s pretty neat, but I’ll never understand it — it’s just running.
Just running. At 71. With Parkinson’s. Across an entire country.
