Florida Man Runs 904 Marathons, And Keeps Going

Denny Fryman, 65, wants to finish 1,000 before he turns 70.

Why run one marathon when you can run 904 (and counting)?

That’s the philosophy of Denny Fryman, a 65-year-old from St. Cloud, Fla. He recently finished his 904th marathon and wants to reach 1,000 before he turns 70.

After his first 26.2-mile journey in 1977 that resulted in a time of 4:12, Fryman ran three more marathons in the next few months so he could lower his PR. Then he met Sy Mah, a Canadian resident who would become Fryman’s running mentor. Mah sadly passed away in 1988.

“Always have an appetite for the next event, have an enthusiasm for the next event, and savor it, and you’ll never get burnt out. I carry it to this day,” Fryman told Around Osceola.com.

Fryman increased his marathon frequency from six per year to eight, and then to 10. Now he averages anywhere from 20 to 25 a year. But he’s no longer worried about his time or where he finishes.

“You look at other people your age and think, ‘Oh my goodness, I don’t want to be like that,’” said Fryman, who is among the leaders in the number of marathons completed. “I need to take care of myself, and I don’t want to lose it.”