I’d like to tell you about someone who inspired me this year(and in other years, but man, this year was something!). Matt Millett, who I met on my first day working at Special Olympics Massachusetts, has always been on my radar as a remarkable athlete, leader, and friend. A few of his bona fides include being a Special Olympics Massachusetts Hall of Famer, a USA Games and World Games medal winning athlete, a former member of the US Athlete Input Council. But in 2024, he really made an impression on me.

To excel as an athlete, it is said, you cannot do it on your own. Even in an individual sport, there are people around you who help – either as a coach, a teammate training alongside, a supporter cheering you on, or as a leader inspiring other to be their best. Running is a great activity to keep your physical fitness up, but it can also be a wonderful social experience running with people, sharing stories, stats, and training routes. Matt has been a bit of inspiration, and maybe a bit of a coach, even when we are not running next to each other (primarily because I can never get my schedule together to run when Matt invites me out on some of his runs 😩 ).

In 2024, Matt Millett Got. After. It. He has run marathons as a member of Xtra Mile teams in the past, and training for those is definitively rigorous and time consuming.But In 2024, Matt stepped it up. Let me share some of his stats – we are sports organization, after all, and sports people love stats!

Total miles run: 1,265

Total elevation gain (how much he ran up a hill):127,355 ft (more than 100 feet per mile!)

Total workouts: 267

Total races: 25 (longest was 25K trail run and also two 10-milers)

 All that work led to some amazing results as he achieved aPR (personal record) in both the 5K and 10K distances, running a 5K in 22:16 (7:10per mile pace) and a 10K in 50:14 (8:03 per mile pace). For those not in the know, those are great times!

So, Matt did all of this, how exactly did it inspire me?Well, since taking up running later in my 30’s I have always kind of just run and not focused on my times or races. But over the past year or so, Matt has been pushing me (whether he knows it or not) by sharing his times, some of his training stats, and asking me to join him in a run from time to time. When I can (though it’s been a while!), I feel the need to keep up with him, which means I need to train harder between those runs just to be fit enough to run fast while he is going his easy pace.

Matt says he runs to “Keep in shape and hang out with friends. I enjoy being outside and running helps me do that.” Isn’t that why we all love Special Olympics sports? Getting out and being with friends! “The benefits of running”, he adds “are that you meet a lot of nice people and there are group runs you can join so you don’t have to run by yourself, if you don’t want to.”

Hopefully in 2025, I will be able to be one of those friends who can run with Matt a bit more. With his prodding and our sharing of personal achievements, maybe someday I will get (closer) to his level!

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Inclusive health content is sponsored by Tufts Health Plan, the Official Health Insurance Partner of Special Olympics Massachusetts. Tufts Health Plan and Special Olympics Massachusetts are dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyles through resources that support individuals with and without intellectual disabilities. To learn more about Tufts Health One Care, a health plan for those with disabilities who have Medicare and Medicaid, visit TuftsHealthPlan.com/SOMA

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