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30 Inspiring Stories in 30 Days
At 442 lbs., Joseph Britain decided to change his life. Along with meeting
his goals of losing weight, improving his health and enjoying life, he has
also strengthened his relationships with his family.
WHO: Joseph Britain
AGE: 46
OCCUPATION: Director of Music Ministries at Mountaintop Community Church
HOMETOWN: Birmingham, Alabama
PREVIOUS MARATHONS: Debut
RUNNER STORY: Joseph Britain is half the man he used to be – literally.
Since his weight loss surgery in July 2004, he has lost an
amazing 252 lbs! Joseph had spent over 40 years standing
on the sidelines watching life happen to other people. He
eventually concluded that he was tired. He was tired of
avoiding stairs, tired of missing out on social events,
and physically tired from simple daily activities. When he
elected to undergo the surgery, he made a promise to
himself to change his lifestyle and not be tired anymore.
Joseph started from the very beginning to work at
improving his health. He began taking short trips around
his house. His poor health prevented him from going long
distances without having to sit and rest, but gradually he
was able to increase his stamina. He began walking with
his wife and joyfully recalls the first time he was able
to celebrate walking a half mile without stopping. Charged
with his accomplishment, Joseph lengthened his trips. With
his wife in tow, it was not only his exercise time, but it
was also becoming quality time with his family. He decided
to enlist his 10-year-old foster daughter to join them.
Even in the winter, when the weather was far from ideal
for outside activity, the Britain family walked together.
By January, they were running one lap out of every eight
at their health club’s track.
The daily workouts were becoming routine and Joseph began
to feel that he needed to set new personal goals for
himself. He desperately wanted to continue on his path to
good health and did so by setting distance goals and
eventually planned to compete in a triathlon. His ultimate
goal would be to prepare for a full marathon. As time
passed, Joseph met his goals. He competed in 15 sprint
triathlons and proudly boasts his completion of the
Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville. Again with his
wife at his side, he was setting and completing his goals
– each one pushing him to excel.
The 2007 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon will be Joseph’s
first attempt at a full marathon. The 26.2 miles he’ll
have to face are certainly intimidating for a man who once
weighed 442 lbs., but are certainly not outside his
ability. He doesn’t plan on breaking the finish line
ribbon and has no thoughts of a glorious placement in the
top 100. He has a much more significant idea in mind:
finish the race. He looks forward to beating out everyone
who chose to grow roots in their couch on race day.
RACE INFORMATION: The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon will celebrate
its 30th anniversary on Sunday, October 7, 2007 as 45,000
participants advance to the start line, embarking on the
culmination of 45,000 personal journeys. Along with the
massive field of recreational runners, the 26.2-mile
course will welcome a full field of world renowned
professional athletes drawn to the flat, fast, urban
setting and the potential to break world and national
records. The professionals will compete for prize money
and points in the World Marathon Majors series which will
crown its first male and female champions with $500,000
each at the close of 2007. Since the inception of its
charity program in 2002, The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon
has generated more than $27.5 million for a variety of
charitable causes including $9.5 million in the 2006 event
alone. Registration for the race opened on January 1, 2007
and closed when it reached capacity on April 18.
Joseph’s story and all previously released runner stories
are available at ChicagoMarathon.com.
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