Miller: “I knew I wanted to finish in Madison, because it’s such a special place for me.” Courtesy of Todd Miller
When Todd Miller ’83 crossed the finish line at the Midwest Financial Group Madison Mini Marathon in August, it was the end of a 12-year quest to run a half or full marathon in all 50 states. The Madison finale was fitting for Miller, a hardcore Badger who currently lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
A lifelong athlete, Miller wasn’t always a serious runner. “In my early 50s, I joined an early morning exercise boot camp,” he says. “It was a fitness community with other runners, and they were very encouraging.”
After completing marathons in Washington, DC, and Philadelphia in 2013, it was off to the races with 49 to go. The pace was grueling. “You’re either getting ready to run, running, or recovering from running,” Miller says. The feeling of accomplishment was powerful, but pounding that much pavement also gave him a sense of “the slow destruction” of his body.
Muscle soreness aside, every race had memorable moments. While running with his brother and fellow Green Bay Packers fan, Jamie Miller ’86, the pair outran former Packer quarterback Brett Favre in a Mississippi race near Favre’s hometown. And locals were generally supportive. After a Waffle House bathroom stop during the same race, Miller received a round of applause from diners.
Miller almost missed the Newport (Rhode Island) Half Marathon after locking his keys in a rental car. “I tried to break the car window with a metal rod outside my inn near Newport,” he recalls. “Miraculously, after about 20 minutes, a young couple came out from the inn, and I asked them if I could have a ride to the starting line. The guy said, ‘Sure, but can you put down that rod?’ They were definitely weirded out.”
Miller spent more than 15 years in management at Fannie Mae before joining the cryptocurrency industry. He currently serves as managing director of Phlomis Finance, a global advisory company focused on digital assets and blockchain technologies.
Juggling a busy career with planning and logistics for each run was complicated, but one decision was a no-brainer. “I knew I wanted to finish in Madison, because it’s such a special place for me,” he says.
Running by Bascom Hill as a 64-year-old triggered a flashback to Miller’s first day of classes. “It was a warm September day in 1979 when I walked up Bascom and saw the pink flamingos set up by Leon Varjian x’83 and his Pail and Shovel [student government] party. I knew I had picked the right college!”
Published in the Spring 2026 issue
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