As runner Allen's first sub-3-hour marathon was at the Paul Bunyan Marathon in
Bangor, Maine, on July 15, 1978, with a time of 2:52:41. In 2004, Allen began an annual tradition of running the route of the
Boston Marathon on New Year's Day. When the 2012
New York City Marathon was canceled due to
Superstorm Sandy, Allen went to the site and ran the course anyway. The run raised $20,000 for the
American Cancer Society,
Wounded Warrior Project and
Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. In 2014, Allen completed a 500-mile run from Maine to
Super Bowl XLVIII at
MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project, raising $20,000. The run started on January 24, 2014, and concluded on February 2, for an average of 50 miles per day. Allen is a regular attendee at
Burning Man. According to the
Association of Road Racing Statisticians, in 2010 Allen became one of 20 runners to have run a sub-3-hour marathon in each of the past five decades. He ran a 2:52 at the 1978 Paul Bunyan Marathon and a 2:51 at the Snickers Marathon in
Albany, Georgia, in 2010. and finished 68 sub-3 hour marathons in five decades. Allen is the co-founder of Crow Athletics running club. Allen was named the Race Director of the Year in 2018 by Road Race Management. ''
Runner's World'' magazine has called Allen "one of running's most creative minds and race directors." According to a study from the Maine Sports Commission, the event is estimated to have brought a record $2,184,632 to the local economy in 2023. The Millinocket Marathon, held in December of the same year, was able to contribute $15,271.20 in support of local charity and community groups in the Katahdin region. Additionally, between $2 and 3 million were spent at local Millinocket businesses over race weekend. ==Personal life==