Jack Scaff

hirunning on January 9, 2022

1935 – 2022

Dr. Scaff is a well-known cardiologist, author, lecturer, and race organizer, and widely-recognized as the “Father of Running” in Hawaii. Born in New York City in 1935, he moved to Hawaii in 1969 to begin his private medical practice.

As a pioneer and a visionary, Dr. Scaff was one of the first physicians to prescribe running as therapy for heart disease, directing the first cardiac rehabilitation program in the islands. He has prolonged and saved many lives by combining his knowledge of cardiovascular disease and long distance running.

Dr. Scaff proposed and founded the Honolulu Marathon (1973) and co-founded the Honolulu Marathon Clinic (1974), which he directed for more than 35 years. The Honolulu Marathon Clinic’s rich history is a testament to his fierce dedication and generous spirit. For more than 35 years, each Sunday morning for nine months a year, he and his clinic staff donated their time and expertise to encourage, train, and inspire neophyte athletes to do what only one percent of the population ever attains.

Other notable achievements:

  1. Founder and President of the Honolulu Marathon Association (1973- 1981)
  2. Started first out-patient Cardiac Rehabilitation Program/Honolulu in 1973 and went on to train the first Americans with a heart attack to complete a marathon (Honolulu Rim of the Pacific Marathon, 1973 and Boston Marathon, 1974)
  3. Subsequently, a medical study conducted on the benefits of recreational long distance running published by Dr. Rudy Dressendorfer, Dr. Jack Scaff, et. al., in the New York Academy of Sciences on “Metabolic Adjustments to Heart Patients During Marathon Running”, was recognized by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) as one of the greatest cardiovascular achievements of the 20th century.
  4. Became the first person in Hawaii to become a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine
  5. Appointed as a Senior Aviation Medical Examiner for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Canada and Japan.
  1. Co-founder with the Mid-Pacific Road Runners Club (MPRRC), of the Primo 50-mile Fun Run Hawaii Kai (2/24/1976-1985) and later the Ultras (100 miler, 100km, 50 mile, 50 km) and relays.
  2. Race Director/Finisher of the Great Hawaiian Footrace (312 miles) in 1979, 1982, and 1985
  3. Co-Founder/ Director of the Great Aloha Run President’s Day (1986- 2002)
  4. Inducted into the Honolulu Marathon Association’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1996
  5. Director of the H3 Run, sponsored by the State of Hawaii, which was the largest first-time footrace with 17,000 entrants (1997)
  6.  Inducted into the Hawaii State Sports Hall of Fame (2003)
  7.  Wrote a book on running titled “Your First Marathon, the Last Word in Long Distance Running” (2011)
  8. Recognized by the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii as a “Living Treasure” of Hawaii (2011)
  9. Additionally, Dr. Scaff completed 40+ marathons, three Great Hawaiian Footraces (312 miles) and a 50-miler

Dr. Scaff is retired and lives in Honolulu, Hawaii, with his wife Donna.