The Long Run: Catching Up With Jim Allen in Working@Duke’s 20th Year

Fifteen years after his Duke Run/Walk Club success, Jim Allen proves that maintaining healthy habits is a marathon not a sprint

Jim Allen holds a magazine with himself on the cover while standing on the Al Buehler Trail
Jim Allen appeared on the cover of the December 2011 / January 2012 cover of Working@Duke running on the Al Buehler Trail with Duke Run/Walk Club. Photo by Travis Stanley

This story is part of the celebration of the Working@Duke print publication's first 20 years. Since its first issue in 2006, the publication has grown into a dynamic digital source for employee news, storytelling, video and social media. Through 2026, check for more stories.

When Jim Allen appeared on the cover of Working@Duke in late 2011, the photograph reflected a turning point he had spent two years building. After his children left for college, Allen joined Duke’s Run/Walk Club in 2009 and gradually worked his way back into running, ultimately losing 45 pounds through a structured run‑walk system supported by coaches from LIVE FOR LIFE, Duke’s employee wellness program.

Fifteen years later, the consistency that defined his transformation still shapes his daily routine. Even after back issues and the pandemic ended his running habit, Allen, Associate Controller of Corporate Payments, shifted seamlessly into walking, hiking and other low‑impact activities — maintaining nearly all his weight loss.

As Working@Duke marks its 20th anniversary, Allen’s story from the 57th issue of the magazine stands as a reminder of what the publication has chronicled since its earliest years: employees who quietly shape campus life, who commit to each other, and who keep moving — sometimes literally — through change.

When you were featured in Working@Duke, what was happening your life?
Jim Allen led the pack on the cover of this December 2011 / January 2012 issue of Working@Duke.

Allen was a runner long before he had his daughter, Jessica, now 37 and son, James, now 34. But after Allen’s children were born, his life began to revolve around activities with the kids, and he focused less on exercise.

After his son went to college in 2009, Allen looked at the scale, saw the number “235” and realized it was time to take action: He signed up for Duke Run/Walk Club. The program run by LIVE FOR LIFE meets each Monday and Wednesday evening on campus during spring and fall seasons for support and coaching.

In that group, Allen found not only a system that helped him ease back into running but also a group of friends he found himself running with consistently.

“It was extra motivation and it was the camaraderie,” Allen said, “because there was a whole group of us that got to know each other and we ran together.

“And focusing on the exercise, the weight just kind of dropped off.”

Why was it important to share your story?

A simple answer: “To motivate other people, because it did work,” Allen said. “If it can motivate some other people to get out and exercise, then that's a good thing.”

Allen lost 45 pounds with the help of Run/Walk Club. Coaches from LIVE FOR LIFE helped him devise a system where he ran four minutes, then walked four minutes, repeating that cycle until he built endurance.

“When you first start, it’s like, ‘Oh my God, is that four minutes ever going to be up?’” Allen said. “And then we got to where we were running the full East Campus loop. You build up your endurance pretty quickly.”

Jim Allen reading Working@Duke
Jim Allen still reads Working@Duke, of course. Photo by Travis Stanley

Soon, Allen was running with intermediate and advanced runners on the Al Buehler Trail on West Campus and joining friends he met through the group for independent runs.   

What has changed in your life since you were featured in Working@Duke?

Allen, who was Director of Accounts Payable in 2011, continued running with the same group until 2020 – when COVID-19 disrupted in-person gatherings and a back problem led to a switch to walking.

“You can probably see me most every day,” Allen said, of his regular lunchtime walks around East Campus.

And Allen has kept the weight off, give or take a few pounds. At his lowest, he was 180, and these days he’s closer to 189.

“I think most people will take that,” he said.

What has kept you at Duke?

Allen recently celebrated his 27th year at Duke, and says his longevity is for a simple reason: “I really enjoy what I'm doing, and I like the people I've worked with.”

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