James Fuller Fixx (April 23, 1932 – July 20, 1984) was an American who wrote the 1977 best-selling book ''

The Complete Book of Running ''The Complete Book of Running'' is a 1977 non-fiction book written by Jim Fixx. Overview The book discusses not only the physical benefits of running, but its psychological benefits as well: increasing self-esteem, acquiring a "high" from runn ...

''; he is credited with helping start America's fitness revolution by popularizing the sport of running and demonstrating the health benefits of regular

jogging Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase physical fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running but more than walking, or to maintain a steady speed for longer periods ...

. Fixx died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

while jogging at 52 years of age; his genetic predisposition for heart problems and other previous lifestyle factors may have caused his heart attack.

Background

Born in New York City on April 23, 1932, Fixx graduated from Trinity School in New York and

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. His father,

Calvin Fixx Calvin Fixx, born Calvin Henry Fix (August 1, 1906 – March 3, 1950), was an American journalist and editor, lifelong friend of Robert Cantwell and friend of Whittaker Chambers, both fellow editors at ''Time'' magazine. All three were either ...

, was an editor at ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' who worked with

Robert Cantwell Robert Emmett Cantwell (January 31, 1908 – December 8, 1978), known as Robert Cantwell, was a novelist and critic. His first novel, ''Laugh and Lie Down'' (1931) is an early example, twenty years before Jack Kerouac, of the American classic gen ...

and

Whittaker Chambers Whittaker Chambers (born Jay Vivian Chambers; April 1, 1901 – July 9, 1961) was an American writer and intelligence agent. After early years as a Communist Party member (1925) and Soviet spy (1932–1938), he defected from the Soviet u ...

Career

Fixx was a member of the high-IQ club, Mensa, and published three collections of puzzles: ''Games for the Super-Intelligent'', ''More Games for the Super-Intelligent'', and ''Solve It!'' The back flap of his first book says: "... He spent his time running on the roads and trails near his home, training for the

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by eight cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was ins ...

." Fixx started running in 1967 at age 35. At that time, he weighed 214 pounds (97 kg) and smoked two packs of cigarettes per day. Ten years later, when his book, ''The Complete Book of Running'' (which spent 11 weeks at number one on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list) was published, he was 60 pounds (27 kg) lighter and smoke-free. In his books and on television talk shows, he extolled the benefits of physical exercise and how it considerably increased the average life expectancy. The cover of his book ''The Complete Book of Running'' featured Fixx's muscular legs against a red cover. The book sold over a million copies. In 1980, Fixx wrote a follow-up book titled ''Jim Fixx's Second Book of Running: The Companion Volume to The Complete Book of Running''. In 1982, Fixx published ''Jackpot!'', the story of what happened after the publication of ''The Complete Book of Running'' when he experienced the "Great American Fame Machine", becoming richer and more celebrated than he could have imagined.

Death

Fixx died on July 20, 1984, at age 52 of a

, during his daily run on

Vermont Route 15 Vermont Route 15 (VT 15) is a east–west state highway in northern Vermont, United States. Its western terminus is at U.S. Route 2 (US 2) and US 7 in Winooski and its eastern terminus is at US 2 in Danville. It is known as t ...

in Hardwick. The autopsy, conducted by Vermont's chief medical examiner, Eleanor McQuillen, revealed that

atherosclerosis Atherosclerosis is a pattern of the disease arteriosclerosis, characterized by development of abnormalities called lesions in walls of arteries. This is a chronic inflammatory disease involving many different cell types and is driven by eleva ...

had blocked one coronary artery 95%, a second 85%, and a third 70%. In 1986,

exercise physiologist Exercise physiology is the physiology of physical exercise. It is one of the allied health professions, and involves the study of the acute responses and chronic adaptations to exercise. Exercise physiologists are the highest qualified exercise ...

Kenneth Cooper published an inventory of the risk factors that might have contributed to Fixx's death. Granted access to his medical records and

autopsy An autopsy (also referred to as post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of deat ...

, and after interviewing his friends and family, Cooper concluded that Fixx was genetically predisposed—his father died of a heart attack at 43 after a previous one at 35, and Fixx himself had a congenitally enlarged heart—and had an unhealthy life: Fixx was a heavy smoker before beginning running at age 36, had a stressful occupation, had undergone a second

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganising of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the M ...

, and gained weight up to 214 lb (97 kg). Medical opinion continues to uphold the link between moderate exercise and longevity.

Legacy

''Maximum Sports Performance'', a book by Fixx published posthumously, discusses the physical and psychological benefits of running and other sports, including increased self-esteem, acquiring a "high" from running, and being able to cope better with pressure and tension. A carved granite monument—a book with an inscription to Jim Fixx from the people of Northeast

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

—now stands in Hardwick Memorial Park in

Hardwick, Vermont Hardwick is a town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic charac ...

. Comedian

Bill Hicks William Melvin Hicks (December 16, 1961 – February 26, 1994) was an American stand-up comedian and satirist. His material— encompassing a wide range of social issues including religion, politics, and philosophy— was controversial and ofte ...

frequently made Fixx the subject of a stand-up routine, humorously suggesting that Fixx's death while jogging should be an argument against exercise (Hicks was a heavy smoker for many years like Fixx, and died from

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...

aged only 32). Portions of that routine were alleged to have been plagiarized by

Denis Leary Denis Colin Leary (born August 18, 1957) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Born in Massachusetts, he first came to prominence as a stand-up comedian, especially through appearances on MTV (including the comedic song " Asshole") and th ...

. Australian band

The Fauves Fauvism ( ) is a style of painting and an art movement that emerged in France at the beginning of the 20th century. It was the style of (, ''the wild beasts''), a group of modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong col ...

referenced Hicks' material in the song "I'm Jim Fixx and I'm Dead Now", on their 2006 album '' Nervous Flashlights''.

Works

* Fixx, James, ''Games for the Super-Intelligent'' (1972) Doubleday * Fixx, James, ''More Games for the Super-Intelligent'' (1976) Doubleday * Fixx, James, ''The Long Distance Runner: A Definitive Study''—preface by James Fixx, edited by Paul Milvy (1977) * Fixx, James, ''

'' (Hardcover), Random House; first edition (1977) * Fixx, James, ''Solve It!'' by James F. Fixx (1978), Doubleday * Fixx, James, ''Jim Fixx's Second Book of Running'' (Hardcover), Random House; first edition (1980) * Fixx, James, ''Jackpot!'' (1982) Random House; * Fixx, James (with Nike Sports Research Laboratory), ''Maximum Sports Performance: How to Achieve Your Full Potential in Speed, Endurance, Strength and Coordination'' (1985)

Videos

* Fixx, Jim, ''Jim Fixx On Running'' (Laserdisc), MCA Videodisc, Inc.; (1980) Color, 53 minutes

References

External links

*
Long-distance Tribute to Jim Fixx

Nearly Forgotten Oddities of the Past
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fixx, Jim 1932 births 1984 deaths 20th-century American non-fiction writers American exercise and fitness writers Hardwick, Vermont Mensans Oberlin College alumni Puzzle designers Trinity School (New York City) alumni