Every morning, at 80 years young, Dr. Art Mollen laces up his shoes and hits the pavement for five miles. After that, he swims a mile in the pool at Mountain Shadows. Later in the day, he’s on the stationary bike, lifting weights in his home gym. This isn’t about checking a box—it’s the ritual that has helped him live the life he’s long preached: movement, discipline, passion, purpose.
“People think I’m nuts,” he laughs. “But I’m telling you, 90 percent of it is for my mind. The physical is the bonus.”
Mind, body, spirit—it’s the philosophy that has guided Dr. Art Mollen’s life and career for more than five decades. A national wellness icon. A bestselling author. A race founder. A proud father and grandfather. A man who is still setting the pace.
This year, as Dr. Mollen celebrates his 80th birthday, he’s also marking another milestone: the 50th anniversary of the Phoenix 10K, one of the first running events of its kind in Arizona. But this November, the race is making history. For the first time ever, they’re adding a full marathon—and the course will wind through Paradise Valley, where Mollen has lived and raised his family for decades.
“No one’s ever run a race through Paradise Valley before. This is my home. To be able to bring this through the streets where my kids grew up, past Piestewa Peak, Camelback Mountain… it’s incredibly meaningful.”
The epic event wouldn’t be happening without the backing of immense community support.
“Mayor Stanton called me directly. That doesn’t happen often. He believed in this from the start. Governor Hobbs and Mayor Gallego have championed this as well.”
And as always with Mollen’s events, the race will draw an inspiring lineup of participants. Over the years, his races have attracted Olympians like Steve Scott and Joan Benoit Samuelson, Boston Marathon legends like Bill Rodgers, and Arizona icons like Governor Doug Ducey and Phoenix Suns players. This isn’t new for Mollen—he’s long made it a tradition to involve high-profile athletes, celebrities, and elite runners, not just as participants, but as part of the community. Many have even been inducted into his Runner’s Hall of Fame, a passion project recognizing not just athletic achievement but contributions to the sport and to the spirit of running.
But if you know Art Mollen, you know the race is just part of the story.
Dr. Mollen has been a fixture in Arizona’s wellness landscape for half a century. Before wellness became a buzzword, before social media influencers and fitspiration hashtags, Mollen was there—penning nationally syndicated columns in more than 100 newspapers, hosting a 30-year health radio show on KTAR, and publishing five books that have shaped how people think about movement, prevention, and longevity.
“I never set out to be ‘the running doc.’ I wanted to be more than that. I wanted to be known for preventive care. For listening. For showing people how to live longer, healthier, better.”
And while his patient list has included countless celebrities, athletes, and CEOs—many of whom still call and text him for advice—it’s his role as a father where Mollen’s legacy is perhaps most deeply felt.
In our February issue, his daughter, New York Times bestselling author and actress Jenny Mollen, penned what she called a roast and a toast to her dad on the occasion of his 80th birthday. She didn’t hold back.
“When I was asked to write a letter commemorating your 80th birthday,” Jenny wrote, “I hesitated, as I was planning to save my best material for when you were dead.”
It’s pure Jenny: sharp, hilarious, heartfelt. But beneath the humor is the kind of tribute every parent hopes to one day receive.
“I’ve thought about your death often,” she continued. “Not because I wish for your demise, but because I’m uncertain about my identity without you. As the legendary prophet Stevie Nicks once wrote, ‘I built my life around you.’”
When asked how he felt reading the piece, Mollen doesn’t even pretend to hold back.
“I cried like a baby. She has a gift with words.”
Jenny’s writing—whether in her books I Like You Just the Way I Am and Live Fast Die Hot, or in her raw, real Instagram posts—has always pulled back the curtain on family dynamics, and her relationship with her dad is no exception. She writes about growing up in Arizona, about the high bar he set—but also about the patience, humor, and grace he’s always shown.
“You never made me feel ashamed to fail,” she wrote. “In fact, you taught me that I needed hardships to grow—and that tenacity will always trump natural talent.”
When you ask Dr. Mollen about fatherhood—raising Jenny, Samantha, Brad, and stepson Chase—or about the six grandchildren who now fill his life with even more joy, he always comes back to one word: listening.
“Listen to your kids,” he says. “Be patient. Let them mess up. They’re going to mess up—that’s part of it. But you have to be there. You have to hear them.”
It’s the same advice he’s given to his patients over the years. The same philosophy that’s made him one of the most trusted voices in the Valley. And the same reason why even now, at 80, his phone still buzzes with people asking for his take on a diagnosis, a symptom, or a plan.
“I don’t always give the standard answer, but I’ll always give you my honest opinion.”
Training for this November’s race—especially amid the Arizona summer heat—comes with its own playbook, straight from Mollen himself: early mornings are key.
“You have to get out there early. Beat the heat. Stay consistent. You don’t have to be fast. You just have to show up,” he says.
He advises aspiring half marathoners to run at least three to four miles several days a week, with one longer run on the weekend. For those taking on the full marathon, he encourages at least nine miles consistently, gradually building to longer distances. But most of all?
“Don’t overdo it. Don’t run too fast, too far, too soon. That’s the mistake so many people make.”
This November, when runners take their marks on the streets of Phoenix and—for the first time—Paradise Valley, they’ll be part of a legacy that’s about much more than the miles. Because if there’s one thing Dr. Art Mollen will tell you, it’s this:
“Don’t get too comfortable. Stay passionate. Stay moving.”
phoenix10k.com