appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Tara Loader Wilkinson

What does an extreme endurance runner carry in their grab bag? For many, the essential items include energy gels, blister bandages, extra socks and a GPS watch.
But for Larry Grogin, a 71-year-old chiropractor and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioner from the US state of New Jersey, it was a selection of acupuncture needles and Chinese herbs. He would self-administer these nightly during his recent feat: running a marathon every day for 100 days to raise money for Parkinson’s disease.
Grogin is no ordinary extreme distance runner. For the past seven years, he has lived with the disorder, which Michael J. Fox also suffers from.
The incurable neurodegenerative condition affects movement and worsens over time. Key symptoms include hand tremors, extreme slowness of movement known as bradykinesia, muscle stiffness and balance problems. None of these seems compatible with distance running.
“It sucks,” Grogin says. “Most of all I dreaded being pitied, and still do. There are good days. Bad days. Horrible days, great days.”

When it comes to Parkinson’s, ‘movement is medicine’
The 2019 diagnosis was devastating for Grogin, who had about 300 marathons and 30 Ironman triathlons under his belt at the time.
But the father of twin sons did not allow himself to become despondent. He approached his disease with an open mind. “Yes, there were moments of despair, but you have to remind yourself that you don’t die from Parkinson’s; you die with it,” he says.
Parkinson’s occurs when specific dopamine-producing neurons in the brain die or become damaged. Exercise is highly neurotrophic, meaning it supports the growth and survival of existing neurons.
With this in mind, Grogin stuck to his philosophy that “movement is medicine” and tried different types of dopamine-inducing activities. These included exercise, such as swimming, weightlifting, powerlifting, biking and hiking; and feel-good activities such as dancing, listening to music and “getting lots of hugs and kisses” from friends and family. He also cut down his work hours to part time.

He held off taking drugs until two years ago, when his hand tremors worsened and he started taking carbidopa-levodopa pills at the minimum dose. Levodopa converts into dopamine in the brain and restores motor function, while carbidopa prevents its premature breakdown in the bloodstream, reducing nausea and maximising effectiveness.
While this medication helps, it comes with “downtime”, which is when symptoms occur between doses as the medication wears off.
“Without exception, I experience downtime every day,” Grogin says. “My muscles weaken and stiffen; Parkinson’s rears its ugly face.”
Helping others gave him a dopamine boost. During the first year of the Ukraine war in 2022, Grogin volunteered with Acupuncturists Without Borders, an NGO set up to provide integrative medicine services to communities affected by disaster.
“It helped my Parkinson’s,” he says. “If you want to feel better, do something to help other people. I got to take my mind off my own woes and complaints.”

In 2014, a year after the Boston Marathon bombing (he was just feet from the finish line in the 2013 race when the bombs went off, but kept running), Grogin founded the philanthropic organisation Strides for Humanity.
That same year, he ran 360km (224 miles) from his hometown of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, to Hopkinton, Massachusetts, to raise funds for Paul Newman’s The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp for ill children and their families.
He once ran 160km in a single day to benefit CancerCare, and in 2019, completed a 1,930km run for Oasis, a shelter for women and children in Paterson, New Jersey.


100 marathons in 100 days
This year, he decided to undertake his most daunting challenge to date – to run a marathon a day for 100 days, between New Jersey and California, to raise money for the Davis Phinney Foundation and Strides for Humanity. Both help Parkinson’s sufferers access fitness facilities.
Grogin’s story attracted national attention in the United States, gaining him sponsorship from brands such as Hoka, which provided his shoes and running gear, and Honda, which provided a Honda Odyssey as a support vehicle.
“I had grave doubts about doing it,” he admits. “But so many people said they were inspired by it, so I thought, what the heck.”
He ran his first marathon on March 24 – his 71st birthday – and did his final one on July 1, in Los Angeles. He started each day with a warm-up of around 15km on the treadmill at his hotel that counted as part of his run, and then jogged slowly outdoors, taking about seven to eight hours to complete each 42.19km trek.
While running, he would speak to friends and family or listen to music, including Frank Sinatra or John Mayer’s satellite radio channel. He did not use technology much; most of the time, he would just “tune into nature”.
He says taking Chinese herbs and giving himself acupuncture was “hugely beneficial” to his daily recovery.
“I would finish running at noon and need to be ready to do it again by 4am each day,” he says. “I credit the herbs for enabling me to recover; they aided hugely.”












View this post on Instagram























A post shared by Run Larry Run (@runlarryrun26)



How acupuncture and TCM helped his recovery
Grogin’s career as a chiropractor began in 1980. A few years later, when a “life-changing” acupuncture session on his knee extended his running range, he became a licensed acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist, and practised for decades in Los Angeles and New Jersey.
He consumed the 20 or so herbs that he used on his quest as teas. His main formulas included:

Nu Zhen Zi, ligustrum or privet fruit, to nourish yin energy


Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang, a peony and licorice root combination, to relax muscles and reduce spasms


Gan Cao Xie Xin Tang, another licorice root, to calm the stomach


Si Wu Tang, a four-ingredient mix, to nourish the blood and improve circulation


Xiao Yao San, an eight-herb blend, to manage stress and anxiety, and digestive issues

Grogin would “self-needle” after his daily marathons, applying acupuncture needles to “stomach 36”, a point just below the kneecap, to boost immunity, enhance digestion and increase energy; and to “kidney 3”, a point between the ankle and Achilles tendon, for restoration and revitalisation.
“The needles are like transmitting antennas for energy directly to where you need it,” he says.
He ate nutrient-dense, largely vegetarian meals each night at whichever hotel he was staying in. “I’d order three or four hearty dinners; I didn’t lose weight at all, which was my aim.”
Now back in New Jersey, Grogin is resting while still using TCM practices to help in his recovery. He has raised US$180,000 of his US$260,000 goal.

A recent study published in The BMJ medical journal predicts that the number of people affected by Parkinson’s worldwide could more than double from 11.9 million in 2021 to over 25 million by 2050.
Looking ahead to future treatments for his Parkinson’s, Grogin keeps a constant eye on innovations. He is currently considering focused ultrasound, a non-invasive procedure that uses MRI-guided sound waves to heat a tiny area of the brain, providing permanent relief from severe tremors.
Grogin was elated to learn that new graduate research studies at universities such as the University of South Florida and Columbia in New York have been proposed to analyse the benefits of exercise on Parkinson’s as a direct result of his achievement.
“My goal is to change the way people think about Parkinson’s and other diseases, to show that movement is medicine,” he says. “The message I hope to get through is, if this 71-year-old with Parkinson’s can do it, anyone can do it.”
Like what you read? Follow SCMP Lifestyle on Instagram. You can also sign up for our eNewsletter here.


Why dementia is preventable – and the new tools that can reduce your risk

A guide to Hong Kong’s bitter herbal teas and how Gen Z is reviving the health tradition

Focused ultrasound could be the next big cancer breakthrough for hard-to-treat tumours

How much sex should a couple have? Focus on quality over quantity, experts say

Wellness

How this 71-year-old with Parkinson’s ran 100 marathons in 100 days with the help of TCM

Chiropractor and acupuncturist Larry Grogin runs in Ohio in the US during his successful bid to complete 100 marathons in as many days to raise money for organisations that help Parkinson’s sufferers. The 71-year-old shares how traditional Chinese medicine helped him achieve this feat. Photo:  Instagram.com/runlarryrun26

Grogin runs in the US state of Arizona during his recent on-foot journey across the US. He started running from his home state of New Jersey on March 24, 2026, his 71st birthday, and reached Los Angeles, California, 100 days later. Photo: Instagram/runlarryrun26

Grogin lifts weights in preparation for his 100 marathons in 100 days challenge days before his 71st birthday in March 2026. Photo: Instagram/runlarryrun26

Grogin volunteers at a Ukrainian refugee camp in Warsaw, Poland, with Acupuncturists Without Borders in November 2022. Photo: courtesy of Larry Grogin

Grogin would “self-needle” after his daily marathons, applying acupuncture needles to points known to increase energy and aid in restoration and revitalisation. Photo: courtesy of Larry Grogin

Grogin during his 100-day challenge, in the US state of Missouri. Photo: Instagram/runlarryrun26


67-year-old completes 2,200km Peninsular Malaysia run to honour wife, fund cancer research

Lim Shyang Guey walks through a crowd after completing his “Run for Gold” campaign, in which he ran 2,200km around Peninsular Malaysia over 86 days in tribute to his wife, who died of gallbladder cancer in 2024. Photo: Michael Tanhy

Lim runs as part of his “Run for Gold” campaign. Over the course of the campaign, Lim ran through 11 Malaysian states and a federal territory, raising almost US$200,000 for cancer research and treatment. Photo: Michael Tanhy

Lim addresses the crowd after finishing his 2,200km “Run for Gold” campaign on June 21. Photo: Michael Tanhy

Why a 50km ultra-marathon on ‘magical’ 5-day Easter Island holiday is a race like no other

Writer Lily Canter runs past 15 moai statues at Ahu Tongariki, the most famous point on Easter Island, or  Rapa Nui, during her five-day tour organised by Rat Race. Photo: Leo Francis/Rat Race

A group of 39 travellers from all over the world, including America, Britain, Australia and the Netherlands, came together to see Easter Island’s wonders on foot. Photo: Leo Francis/Rat Race

Rapa Nui is famous for its hundreds of colossal carved stone figures known as moai, which dot the 164 sq km island. Photo: Leo Francis/Rat Race

With much of Rapa Nui’s history shrouded in mystery, visitors were often left with more questions than answers, but for the writer, the island’s secrets are part of its appeal. Photo: Leo Francis/Rat Race

Domesticated dogs are encouraged to roam free on Rapa Nui, and one escorted the writer on a 15km hike and waited outside the hotel to greet her the next morning. Photo: Leo Francis/Rat Race

For the writer, the run-cation was “magical”, like stepping into a parallel universe where stress, deadlines, rules and uniformity don’t exist. Photo: Leo Francis/Rat Race

Moai were not the only ever-watchful eyes on the island, which is also home to cows and horses. Photo: Leo Francis/Rat Race

The writer poses next to a moai with her finisher’s medal. Photo: Leo Francis/Rat Race

Can running keep diabetes in check? Finance exec took up the sport to avoid taking medication for the condition – now he runs ultra races

Ravi Chandra was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 51 in 2015. Instead of medicine, he took up running - and he has not stopped since. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Chandra’s blood glucose levels soon fell back into the normal range, to 6.80 from 8. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Chandra ran 32km of the 42km Standard Chartered marathon wearing traditional Indian garb. Photo: Facebook/cravihk

Chandra has run 29 races – 12 marathons in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and India, five half-marathons, seven 10-kilometre races and five ultra runs. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Chandra (front) has formed a Saturday morning running club in Tung Chung. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Running is a stress buster for Chandra. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Can too much running cause colon cancer? New study raises questions about extreme training

A new study suggests endurance running may increase colon cancer risk, prompting calls for further research into people who run marathons and ultra-marathons. Photo: Shutterstock

Oncologist Dr Timothy Cannon says people who have bleeding or a lot of cramping or discomfort after they run should get checked out. Photo: Dr Timothy Cannon

Amy Oxentenko, a consultant gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic, says the study raises important questions about running and gut health. Photo: Amy Oxentenko

Lifestyle

Health & Wellness

Health

American chiropractor and TCM practitioner Larry Grogin shares how Chinese herbs and acupuncture helped him as he made his way across the US


American chiropractor and TCM practitioner Larry Grogin shares how Chinese herbs and acupuncture helped him as he made his way across the US.


How this 71-year-old with Parkinson’s ran 100 marathons in 100 days with the help of TCM

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}American chiropractor and TCM practitioner Larry Grogin shares how Chinese herbs and acupuncture helped him as he made his way across the US

American chiropractor and TCM practitioner Larry Grogin shares how Chinese herbs and acupuncture helped him as he made his way across the US