Medical student runs 62-mile race to raise awareness for addiction recovery

HERSHEY, Pa. — David Millar, a second-year medical student at Penn State College of Medicine, spent part of his summer break navigating rocky, remote trails through the Allegheny Mountains — not as a getaway, but as a mission.

In July, Millar completed the Ironstone 100K, a brutal 62-mile ultramarathon with more than 8,000 feet of elevation gain, to raise awareness for a cause, that’s deeply personal to him: addiction recovery.

It’s a passion, Millar said, that comes from lived experience.

“I got sober at 20 years old after a few years of active addiction that left me homeless and nearly dead,” he said. “Recovery saved my life and not just physically. It gave me purpose, community and a reason to keep going. Ever since, I’ve felt a responsibility to speak up for those who can’t and to challenge the stigma that still surrounds addiction, especially in medicine.”

Millar said ultramarathons reflect the recovery journey in a very visceral way: It’s painful, lonely and incredibly transformative.

“You hit lows you didn’t think you’d survive,” he said. “But if you just keep moving, one step at a time, something beautiful begins to happen.”

Instead of fundraising as part of his participation in the race — something he’s done before, once raising over $5,000 through a similar effort with a nonprofit centered around addiction. He took to social media, sharing his intention behind participating and that he was dedicating the run “to those still suffering and to those we’ve lost.”

“I’m not asking for donations. I’m asking for attention. For awareness. For a conversation we don’t have often enough,” he wrote in a social media post ahead of the race. “If you think someone may be struggling, I’m asking you to reach out to them.”

The Ironstone 100K, known for its low finish rate and demanding terrain, pushed Millar both physically and emotionally, he said. He finished in 16 hours and 33 minutes, placing eighth out of 100 runners. On race day, he wrote “for the sick and the lost” on his wrist – a gesture that sparked conversations with fellow runners during some of the toughest miles.

Millar’s advocacy has resonated beyond the trail: His pre-race message gained traction online, he said, and led to podcast invitations and outreach from people impacted by addiction.

“The response has been incredibly moving,” he said. “A lot of people have reached out to share their stories. That kind of feedback reminded me exactly why I chose to speak up in the first place.”

Now pursuing his medical degree at the College of Medicine, Millar explained that his path to medicine also directly grew out of his experience with addiction.

“In early recovery, I was cared for by doctors, nurses and counselors, a lot of whom treated me with dignity and compassion at a time when I felt like I didn’t deserve either,” he said. “That had a deep impact on me. It made me want to do the same for others, especially for patients who are often overlooked or dismissed.”

When it came time to figure out where he’d go to medical school, Millar said, he was drawn to the College of Medicine because it values non-traditional paths and service-oriented students.

Penn State stood out immediately, he said, as a place that values people as much as performance — and he wanted to pursue his degree somewhere his experience in recovery and his passion for advocacy would be seen as strengths, not liabilities.

“For me, medicine isn’t just a career,” Millar said. “It’s a way to take the most painful part of my life and turn it into something useful. I honestly feel that this is what I was put on earth to do.”