James Milner is not slowing down in retirement.
The Premier League's record appearance-maker retired at the end of the 2025-26 season, but he is still taking on new athletic challenges.
Milner took part in his first marathon on Sunday, Nov. 1, but the 40-year-old didn't look like a novice runner.
Milner completed the 2026 New York City Marathonwith a time of 3:09:04, an average of 7:13 per mile.
He represented Leeds, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Manchester City, Liverpool and Brighton through a 24-year career, ending with a record 658 Premier League appearances.
Milner was known for his fitness during his playing career, but retirement has allowed him to fully pursue his new goal of distance running.
"I’ve always had a pretty good engine," he told LetsRun.com
before the marathon.
"But then the last few years, when you get a bit older, you have to look after yourself a bit more in football. So I was stopped from running in pre-season and things like that."
The Iron Man's days on the pitch may be over, but James Milner just keeps on running 🏃♂️
— Premier League USA (@PLinUSA) November 1, 2026
And he completed it in 3 hours, 9 minutes: averaging 7:13 per mile! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/OnHPe9ayuu
Despite significant injury issues late in his career, Milner still came within 10 minutes of the sub-three-hour marathon he once believed he could run.
"A few years ago, I feel like I could have definitely done sub-3:00," he said. "My career went on longer and longer. Two years ago, I had a knee operation, and when I woke up from the knee operation, I couldn’t lift my foot. And I had a second operation that day to check, and then I couldn’t lift my foot for six months. I had nerve damage.
"So I feel to go from not being able to walk properly and maybe never being able to walk to coming back, playing football in the Premier League, and hopefully potentially finishing a marathon, I don’t want to get too much caught up on the time."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Premier League legend James Milner runs NYC Marathon in 3:09
