James Milner retired from professional football just months before the New York City Marathon. He ran the race on Nov 1 2026 to support a charity fund that bears his name.

In an interview with LetsRun on Oct 30, Milner said he suffered severe nerve damage after knee surgery about two years ago, which left him unable to lift his foot for six months. Because of this, he did not put pressure on his finishing time and focused on enjoying the race.

He prepared by training three to four times a week, using AI to design his routine. His longest training run was 32.24 km, completed in 2 hours 26 minutes 16 seconds. The biggest challenge was moving from high‑intensity, multi‑directional football work to long‑distance endurance running while avoiding new injuries.

Official data from the New York Road Runners (NYRR) tracking app shows Milner kept a pace of 4 minutes 29 seconds per kilometre and finished in under 3 hours 10 minutes. His story shows that careful planning and new tools can help a retired athlete succeed in a very different sport.