Gary Allen

Gary Allen (born 1957) is an American long-distance runner, race director and entrepreneur. He is the founder and director of the Mount Desert Island Marathon, the Millinocket Marathon & Half and the co-founder of the Downeast Sunrise Trail Relay and the Great Cranberry Island 50K Ultra Marathon.

Early life and education Allen was born in Atwater, California, and raised on Great Cranberry Island, a small, two-mile long island off the coast of Maine with a year-round population of under 40. A twelfth generation native of the island, his ancestors first settled there in the 1650s. He started running when he was 13, and was inspired to seriously pursue the sport after watching Frank Shorter win the marathon gold medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Career

As runner Allen's first sub-3-hour marathon was at the Paul Bunyan Marathon in Bangor, Maine, on July 15, 1978, with a time of 2:52:41.

In 2004, Allen began an annual tradition of running the route of the Boston Marathon on New Year's Day. When the 2012 New York City Marathon was canceled due to Superstorm Sandy, Allen went to the site and ran the course anyway. The run raised $20,000 for the American Cancer Society, Wounded Warrior Project and Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. In 2014, Allen completed a 500-mile run from Maine to Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project, raising $20,000. The run started on January 24, 2014, and concluded on February 2, for an average of 50 miles per day.

Allen is a regular attendee at Burning Man.

According to the Association of Road Racing Statisticians, in 2010 Allen became one of 20 runners to have run a sub-3-hour marathon in each of the past five decades. He ran a 2:52 at the 1978 Paul Bunyan Marathon and a 2:51 at the Snickers Marathon in Albany, Georgia, in 2010. and finished 68 sub-3 hour marathons in five decades.

Allen is the co-founder of Crow Athletics running club.

Allen was named the Race Director of the Year in 2018 by Road Race Management.

Runner's World magazine has called Allen "one of running's most creative minds and race directors." According to a study from the Maine Sports Commission, the event is estimated to have brought a record $2,184,632 to the local economy in 2023. The Millinocket Marathon, held in December of the same year, was able to contribute $15,271.20 in support of local charity and community groups in the Katahdin region. Additionally, between $2 and 3 million were spent at local Millinocket businesses over race weekend.

Personal life In 2017 Allen was a recipient of WLBZ’s, 2 Those Who Care Awards for his personal and professional community service achievements.

Allen is a father of two and a 12th generation Great Cranberry Islander.

Allen was featured in the New York Times regarding a running event to be held in the Katahdin region of Maine that coincides with a total eclipse viewable in parts of the world on 8 April 2024.