--- title: "Why this retired Marine colonel and cancer survivor runs 50 marathons a year" date: "2026-10-19" modified: "2026-10-19" authors: - name: "Stephen Ruiz" job_title: "Editor, Writer" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/stephen.md" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/veterans/why-this-retired-marine-colonel-and-cancer-survivor-runs-50-marathons-a-year/" categories: - "History" - "Marine Corps" - "Veterans" tags: - "Marine Corps" - "Sports" - "Veterans" --- # Why this retired Marine colonel and cancer survivor runs 50 marathons a year ![Marine Corps colonel runner]() *Retired Marine Corps Col. Hank Donigan has run about 50 marathons a year since 2015. (Photo courtesy of Semper Fi & America's Fund)* When someone normally is told they have cancer, certain questions pop into their mind once the shock wears off. Am I going to die? How is this going to affect my family? What are the next steps? Retired [Marine Corps]() Col. Hank Donigan probably had those concerns when doctors informed him in 2022 that he had brain cancer. But as surgery to remove a golf-ball-sized tumor from Donigan’s brain approached July 6, 2023, the military veteran had another query for his medical team. “I asked the neurosurgeon, ‘Since I’m going to be unable to run after the surgery, do you mind if I run a marathon the weekend before my surgery?’” Donigan related recently to We Are The Mighty. “He said, ‘If that makes you happy, knock yourself out.’” **Also Read:** [**Documentary captures veterans’ historic journey carrying the flag across the US**]() So Donigan ran, and he has hardly stopped since then. On Sunday, October 25, 2026, Donigan is scheduled to run the Marine Corps Marathon for the 31st time. It will mark his 750th marathon, of which he said about 10% are ultramarathons. ### “Just Run Slow” ![Retired Marine Corps Col. Hank Donigan]() *Retired Marine Corps Col. Hank Donigan is expected to run the Marine Corps Marathon for the 31st time on October 25, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Semper Fi & America's Fund)* Donigan grew up near Boston, and during his youth, he and his friends attended the Boston Marathon as spectators. The thought of actually running it someday intrigued Donigan, who said his grandfather ran arguably America’s most famous road race in 1916. After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy, Donigan joined the Marines. Aspiring to military leadership, Donigan recognized that a high level of fitness was required for a position with such responsibility. Running seemed like a natural choice to stay in shape. Shortly after becoming part of the Corps, Donigan ran his first road race (a 10-mile course) in 1977. He competed in his first marathon in 1980, one year before he first entered the Marine Corps Marathon. “The first marathon \[in Savannah, Georgia\] was the best, so I was elated,” Donigan said. “I had some good running buddies who shared the experience with me. Once they saw that was within the realm of the possible, I ran two more and immediately leaped from that to the idea of running a full triathlon. I ran the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii in February 1982.” But Donigan mostly stuck to marathons. By 2012, he estimated he had run 65 marathons—an impressive total but an average of just two or three per year. His outlook changed while preparing for the Marine Corps Marathon that year. During his training, he paced Angela Tortorice, who [ran an incredible 70 marathons]() the previous year. During their run, they chatted. “My problem was that if I ran more than four or five marathons a year, I would just get injured, and I would have to stop running,” Donigan said. “She said one of her biggest secrets is that you just run slow. You never exert yourself, and that way, you don’t get hurt, and so your body recovers quicker.” Donigan tried it, and something clicked. He established a goal of running 25 marathons in the next year. After accomplishing that, he increased the total to 35. Now his goal is to run 50 marathons in a year. ### Living with Undiagnosed PTSD ![Marine barracks bombing Beirut]() *American Marines search for survivors and bodies in the rubble after a car bomb destroyed their barracks in Beirut in 1983. The blast killed 241 U.S. service members and wounded more than 60. (Peter Charlesworth/LightRocket via Getty Images)* Donigan enjoys running because of its health and stress-relieving benefits. Donigan—whose father served during [World War II]()—told WATM that he deployed to 46 countries during 34 years in the military, including the four at the academy. He said he participated in the [Persian Gulf War]() and during [Operation Iraqi Freedom](), and he was in Beirut before and after the Marine barracks bombing in 1983. Donigan struggled after that terrorist attack and didn’t exactly know why. The lingering effects from the Lebanon bombing, combined with other battlefield experiences, altered how he interacted with others. “I had the symptoms—anxiety, depression,” Donigan told WATM. “A lot of times, you just don’t want to be around people. People don’t understand why you feel isolated and antisocial, because they haven’t experienced it themselves. You can imagine with a family member, your wife; you’re in a bad mood, and she can’t figure out why, and you try to explain it. You just say, and this is true of most veterans, ‘You just don’t get it.’” It wasn’t until 2007, the year after he retired from the military, that Donigan received a diagnosis. He had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a [traumatic brain injury]() (TBI). “Before I was diagnosed, running was a big part of me being able to manage my life,” Donigan said. “I was pretty successful in my career. I commanded twice as a lieutenant colonel and colonel. You learn the skills to cope with your condition.” Unlike with his PTSD and TBI, Donigan experienced no symptoms while he battled cancer. He only learned of his tumor after undergoing an MRI while volunteering for a Department of Veterans Affairs research study. That scan revealed the cancer. ### Helping Others Through Running ![Retired Marine Corps Col. Hank Donigan]() *Retired Marine Corps Col. Hank Donigan, an avid marathon runner, has raised more than $121,000 through his races for the military nonprofit Semper Fi & America's Fund. (Photo courtesy of Semper Fi & America's Fund)* Donigan felt well enough to continue running leading up to his operation. After doctors removed the tumor, he ran a marathon three weeks later. Even during radiation treatments, Donigan had neither the nausea nor lethargy that patients tend to experience. The only side effect came after he ran a marathon in Arizona at the end of 2023, when he took a shower and his hair accumulated in the drain. Running is important to Donigan, not only for himself but also for others. Through various endurance races, Donigan, whose cancer is in remission, has raised more than $121,000 for the [Semper Fi & America’s Fund](). The military nonprofit supports ill, injured, and wounded service members and their families. Donigan, 71, is intent on maintaining his running schedule, so much so that he has kept pounding pavement for the past two years despite a partially collapsed lung. Refusing to slap an end date on his athletic pursuit, he doesn’t know how much longer he will go. For now, he is targeting the 2027 Boston Marathon for his 600th marathon or ultramarathon. Furthermore, Donigan has studied competitors a decade or more older than him who are still tackling such formidable distances. Donigan, who teaches at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College on Camp Pendleton, California, wants to be one of them. “That inspires me to say, ‘If you take care of yourself and with a bit of providence, you may continue to run just like this for quite a bit more time,” he said. **Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty** **•** [**A roadside bomb made this Army vet a triple amputee. Adaptive surfing gave him a new life**]() **•** [**A former soldier with a TBI found his purpose in helping other veterans**]() **•** [**How the Marine Corps’ oldest division survived at Chosin Reservoir**]() ## Author Stephen Ruiz is an editor and writer at We Are The Mighty. His writing revolves mostly around military history and sports stories, but it can branch into other areas. Stephen has more than 35 years of journalism experience. His career began with stints at The Ledger newspaper in Lakeland, Florida, and The Kansas City Star in Missouri, but most of his time was spent on the copy desk at the Orlando Sentinel. After accepting a buyout from the Sentinel in 2020, Stephen worked at Military.com for 4½ years as a content editor and writer. He joined the We Are The Mighty staff in December 2025. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()