LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Since he was a teenager, one Louisville man has made the Kentucky Derby Festival miniMarathon a tradition.

"I think what's cool for me is for the last 50 years, the last Saturday in April I know exactly what I did," John Holland said.

In 1974, Holland ran in the very first Derby miniMarathon at 14 years old. His old brother Dan invited him the night before the race and he agreed.

"The very first mini was actually run on a school day. It was on Monday. And I had to get a permission slip from my mom because I had to get out of school," Holland said.

As one of four boys, the Holland brothers all later joined in the mini in the following years. In 1983, they were even featured in the newspaper for all running together for a decade. But only John has kept pounding the pavement all these years.

"Kind of like Forrest Gump just kept, just kept going," Holland said.

If you've kept up with the math though, this is actually the 51st running of the Derby miniMarathon. Holland missed a year back in college for finals.

"I had no idea I would keep this string going at that time either. And I thought, 'oh missed one, yeah it's okay, I'll get the next year,'" Holland said. "Never missed another one, what are the odds on that?"

And he's saved a few mementos to prove it, including dozens of T-shirts, posters, and old photos. Medals weren't given out in the early days, so his collection for race medals doesn't get going until the late 90s.

One souvenir that sticks out from the rest is a letter from then Louisville Mayor Harvey Sloane who is credited with pushing for a miniMarathon race.

"That was such a classy thing to do," Holland said. "He sent everybody a letter who ran that year just saying thank you for starting the first miniMarathon."

But there's one year that sticks out from the rest. 

That year is "2014, cause I really didn't know if I was going to be able to run that year," Holland said.

Doctors found an aneurysm on his heart. In late January 2014, Holland had it successfully removed, so when April came around he went to his doctor with a question.

"He said, 'you're not gonna mess anything up I did if you want to do it. Yes, you have my permission to do it.' And I did and got through that race too," Holland said.

That year marked his 40th miniMarathon and the Kentucky Derby Festival honored him with free entry for the rest of his life. So, he couldn't stop then. 

"Just put one foot in front of the other and I know I can do it. There's never a doubt, I want to do it, I might be slow, but I'll get there," Holland said. "I'm an average guy. So if I can do it, you can do it too."

While he's the only Holland to run it 50 times, he hasn't been short of family support.

"Just a lot of great memories over the years," Holland said. "It's really been a nice family tradition."

His wife Sherry, of 36 years, has cheered him on for 43 of the races which is when they started dating. Other various relatives and their kids have even run in the race too.

He also credits the growing crowds of strangers at the race that help motivate him to the finish line each year. 

"I will tell you the crowds, and bless them, because people come out and they cheer you on," Holland said. "Just to hear people cheer for you and all the runners - it's so uplifting."

If you attend Saturday's mini and full marathon you can spot John by looking for his red T-shirt that says, "This is my 50th miniMarathon."

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