Ralph C. Carmona was diagnosed Alzheimer's in 2014
Credit: Ralph Carmona
NEED TO KNOW
- Retiree Ralph C. Carmona was inspired to take up competitive running after watching his son participate in the Boston Marathon in 2014
- Shortly after, Carmona was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2015
- The now-75-year-old tells PEOPLE how running has been key to his health journey in the years since the life-changing diagnosis
When Ralph C. Carmona watched his son, Alejandro, complete the Boston Marathon in 2014, he was inspired to lace up his running shoes and start logging some miles of his own. Little did he know just how vital his new exercise hobby would be to his journey ahead.
Shortly after Alejandro's marathon, Ralph, who was 64, was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer's disease in 2015. He tells PEOPLE that it was his wife, Vana, who initially urged him to see a doctor after she noticed that he was forgetting things.
The former government and public affairs executive — who retired in 2009 after working as the chief lobbyist for Bank of America in the State Capital of California and the executive director for the Sacramento Municipal Utility District — says he initially felt anger and "self-denial." But after receiving the life-changing news, he felt "challenged, even defiant."
In the decade since his diagnosis, Carmona, now 75, has participated in a clinical trial to help advocate for scientific research. He says that by being a subject, he has learned that "healthy aging activity is a sine qua non for fighting Alzheimer’s."
Credit: Ralph Carmona
He explains, "That requires having critical thinking, eating a Mediterranean diet, avoiding bad health habits — smoking and excessive drinking — and exercising, like running, walking and swimming."
Running has become a key part of both his physical and cognitive health. He recalls initially being interested in the sport back in the late 1970s and 1980s "like many Baby Boomers."
"I was captivated by Jim Fixx’s Complete Book on Running, which was part of the exercise boom during that period," he says. "However, I never ran in a competitive race, stopped after too many twisted ankles, and turned to the stair master."
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Credit: Ralph Carmona
But after seeing Alejandro cross the finish line in Boston, Carmona felt a pull toward running again.
"I was so taken by the event and expressed a desire to run again. Over dinner, Alejandro and Vana convinced me that I was in good enough shape to run and that the shoe technology would prevent any ankle injuries," he recalls.
"Going from the stair master to running became a reclaiming of my legs and was life-changing," Carmona adds.
Within a year, he had run his first 10K, followed by his first marathon in 2019. He completed another marathon in 2023, and then the following year, he became the only qualified runner with Alzheimer’s to participate in the 2025 Boston Marathon.
Reflecting on the importance of the sport to his health journey, Carmona says, "Running has elevated my positive thinking. Challenges, like marathons, once thought impossible, are efforts that require mind over matter."
Credit: Ralph Carmona
He continues, "They demand months of preparation before and timely thinking during a race: How fast to run or pace; when to shift the balancing of one’s legs and body to avoid cramping. Before a race, there is the build-up and tap-down of distance, the strategic use of drinking liquids, eating gels and consuming grams of carbs to survive and successfully complete running that long distance. This is not a cakewalk."
Carmona says that after his most recent marathon, he needed EMT support after he crossed the finish line — but, he proudly declares, he came in first place within the 75-80 bracket and was the only runner in his age group. "At 4:08, I easily beat the qualifying time (4:35) for the Boston Marathon next year," he notes.
In addition to running, Carmona swims a mile on his off-days and does daily two-mile dog walks. He also travels and spends time gardening with his wife.
Credit: Ralph Carmona
More than a decade since his Alzheimer's diagnosis, his symptoms remain "largely unnoticeable."
"My neurologist refers to me as his rock star, and my annual medical evaluations are that I am at the top 1% in terms of my physical health, which I learned from clinical trials makes for a 'healthy brain,' " he says.
He credits LEQEMBI — an FDA-approved drug that slows the progression of early Alzheimer's — for "changing the trajectory" of his life.
Credit: Ralph Carmona
"According to my neurologists and Vana, the effect of LEQEMBI has been slowing the metastasizing of plaque on my brain," he says. "This has slowed the possibility of mild cognitive impairment turning into the kind of dementia that prevented my 97-year-old mother from being a functional human being for the last 15 years of her life."
Carmona says he hopes to keep running as long as he can. And when it comes to his training, he's certainly not slowing down. The 75-year-old is planning to take on the Chicago and New York City marathons later this year.
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