Danny Mills had career ended at 32 but is now running two marathons in 5 weeks

Danny Mills' football career was cruelly cut short by chronic knee issues at the age of 32, but that hasn't stopped the former England defender becoming a keen runner.

Mills played for Leeds and Manchester City, among others, during an impressive career. He was England's first-choice right back at the 2002 World Cup and played every minute of the Three Lions' five matches.

Though injuries got the better of Mills and he retired from all football in 2009. But rather than wallow in the pity of what could have been, Mills hit the tarmac.

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And despite the knee issues, he has completed three marathons and will add another two to his CV in the coming weeks.

First up, Mills, now 45, will be running the TCS London Marathon for the Bobby Moore Fund on October 2. He will then make the trip across the Atlantic to pound the New York pavements for another 26.2 miles just five weeks later on November 6.

"I always wanted to do a marathon but once football ended with my bad knees, I never thought it would be possible," Mills, supplied by Halls and Halls, told Daily Star Sport .

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"First one I did was for Jane Tomlinson Appeal, the York Marathon, then I got asked in 2016 by the Bobby Moore Fund if I would run the London Marathon for Bobby Moore, raise money and awareness.

"They gave me the 1966 number, I ran it in the red kit, it was 50 years since Bobby lifted the World Cup trophy. And I've done a few since, it's a great event, it's fabulous.

"I was down to do New York last year but I missed out by one day because of Covid. I did London, which was fabulous, and was planning to do New York. But New York didn't open up until one day after the marathon."

But Mills will be making the trip this year – once he's rested and recovered from running over Tower Bridge, past Canary Wharf and up the Mall.

Many will wonder how a man who suffered so much during his football career can run such a distance. But Mills has learned what his body is and isn't capable of having run last year's London Marathon in a very good 3:15.31.

"My knees won't take the long runs," he added. "It's very rare that I will run for more than 15, 16 miles on a training run.

"My knees are alright, I can run at a certain pace. I can run anywhere between seven minute mile pace and 8.15, 8.30 mile pace. That's my window.

"Faster than that is not great for my knees, slower than that is not great for my knees. As long as I stay in that window, I'm okay.

"Twisting and turning is the hard bit, trying to play football is the worst thing in the world.

"Because I train all year round, I don't train for the marathon as such. I run all year round, no matter what. Two marathons five or six weeks apart is ideal."

Around 50,000 participants will join the likes of Mo Farah on the start line in the capital next month.

Many will be just wanting to complete the gruelling distance with Mills applauding all those who get out and run.

"You'll never regret going for a run," the ex-Charlton star continued. "Sometimes it's hard, when you're doing it and running at a pace, you think it's hard work. But when you finish it's amazing.

"The endorphin rush you get, the feeling of completing something is superb. There are a lot of thing around mental health, but running is fabulous. You finish a run and you feel good. You've got a little bit fitter, you've moved your body.

"I think anyone that completes the TCS London Marathon is fantastic. It's an amazing achievement, people forget it's harder to run a five-hour marathon than it is to run a three-hour marathon because you're out there for longer, you're on your feet for longer. It doesn't matter what time you run, as long as you get round and get that medal."

Mills' sporting prowess has driven his children with son Stanley part of the Everton set-up while other son George is a former British 1500m champion.

"He'd still be a little bit quicker than me," Mills laughed. "Though I have still got the fact, despite him having been British champion, I'm still quicker than him over a marathon. The fact he's not run one is the only reason.

"Their training runs, they'll do 14 or 15 miles on a training run at break-neck speed, sub six-minute mile pace just as a warm down. It really is incredible."

Mills will be a touch slower than that come October 2, but the main goal is to raise as much money for the Bobby Moore Fund as possible.

Shortly after the World Cup winner's death in 1993, Bobby’s widow Stephanie Moore OBE set up the Bobby Moore Fund as a restricted fund of Cancer Research UK to raise money for pioneering bowel cancer research.

Mills said: "I've been involved with Bobby Moore Fund for some time, and the cancer research stuff that they do, which is fabulous.

"I'll be running for them, doing my bit, seeing what I can do. For anyone that fancies doing it, London is amazing, and I want to put New York on that list as well, as a box ticker."

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