I’m 300lbs and I’ve run eight marathons, fuck the haters

Health

From Adriana Diaz

June 7, 2023 | 14:06

Eleven years ago, Martinus Evans’ doctor gave him dire warning.

You are fat. You can lose weight or die, he told Evans, so 25 and 360 pounds.

Evans, a former college football player, made a bold promise to himself and his doctor: He would run a marathon.

At first, the Brooklynite could only run 15 seconds at a time on the treadmill, but he had what he calls a delusional self-confidence.

This, and an innate need to prove people wrong, a doctor now even more concerned among them, motivated Evans to continue.

Now 36 years old and weighing 300 pounds, Evans has run eight marathons and over 100 other races.

Running has opened me up to thinking what are some other things I might want to do that I didn’t think I could because of my body size and shape? she told The Post.

Evans’ journey has also led him to become a certified running coach, community leader of the Slow AF Run Club (a virtual community for slower runners that has more than 10,000 members worldwide), and the author of Slow AF Run Club: The Ultimate Guide for Anyone Who Wants to Run, published by Random House all, he says, to encourage people to start running in the body they have today.

The humorous title comes from an experience Evans had while running the New York City Marathon in 2018.

As he crossed the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan, he took off his headphones after noticing a man yelling and pointing at him as Evans ran his 16th mile.

You are slow as fk! Go home, the casual onlooker shouted.

For me, I was like, wait a minute. I’m running the race. You are on the sideline. Why are you telling me to go home? No, go home, because I paid to be here and I deserve to be here.’

The following year, Evans ran the race with Slow AF emblazoned on this shirt like a metaphorical middle finger to his enemy.

These days, Evans casually runs 3 to 4 miles at a pace of 14 to 15 minutes per mile, despite his weight.

And he’s not the least bit bothered by his critics, who have told him he’s normalizing obesity.

I’m promoting the look of a normal person with a normal body nowadays. he said.

Evans, who holds a master’s degree in public health research from the University of Connecticut, noted that regular exercise provided him with excellent blood pressure, cholesterol and bone density levels, without the dramatic weight loss.

When people think about health, the first thing people notice is how they look and they think, “Oh, that person isn’t healthy, because they’re fat,” Evans said.

Anyone can be a runner. It may look different than what they see on TV or from professional runners, but anyone can be a runner, Evans said.

The running coach, who focuses on all aspects of the client’s health, including nutrition and other forms of exercise, advises novice runners to start interval training like he did: run for 15 seconds, then walk for one minute and slowly continue running as fast and/or as long as possible.

He also encourages them to sign up for a road race to really experience the joys that come with running.

Evans pushes running as a gateway to larger movements and other exercises.

She noted that it’s not just about the action of running, but about learning to form healthier lifestyle habits and monitor health markers rather than looking for physical changes.

With several marathons under her belt, Evans is now considering training for a triathlon.

People see themselves in me and say, “Damn, you know, I really didn’t think I could do this, but seeing you maybe I could.” So that’s why I’m running today.