A software architect started running – and radically transformed his body. – By Lisa Nevitt

Age: 41
Home Town: Cape Town
Height: 1.8m
Occupation: Software Architect
Time Required: 9 months
Then: 96kg
Now: 83kg

THE WAKE-UP

I was out of breath and my lungs heaved like a steam train. It was Boxing Day in 2013, and my brother – who was already three months into a new fitness regime, and looked all the leaner, healthier and fitter for it – had agreed to go for a quick run with me around the neighbourhood.

Until then, I’d never understood why people ran. To me, it looked painful and tiring. I’d dabbled in cross-country, and played basketball and hockey back in high school, but that was where my brief flirtation with exercise had ended.

My brother and I ended up running two kilometres at most, peppered with walk breaks every hundred metres or so. The reality hit: I was 39 years old, and couldn’t even run around the block – which bothered me.

THE SHAKE-UP

So the very next day, I downloaded a running app, laced up, and off I went – slowly. On that first run, I barely managed one and a half kilometres; but each day, I jogged a little further than the last. In the nine months that followed, my waist size dropped from a size 36 to a 32.

Then came my biggest challenge yet. I decided to run the Cape Town Marathon, and raise money for The Anna Foundation. During the cold, winter months leading up to race day, I did over 500 kilometres of training. The actual event was tough, because I’d never run more than 30 kilometres in a single training run; but I finished it, and raised R3 000.

THE REWARD

I wouldn’t exactly call myself a sprinter, but there’s no denying I’ve come a long way since I was barely able to run around the block. My string of personal bests includes five kilometres in less than 25 minutes, and a half marathon in 1:56.

My family and I have a history of high blood pressure, but since I started running my resting heart rate has dropped under 50 beats per minute, and my doctor has prescribed a lower dosage of the blood-pressure meds I’ve been taking since 2004. Not only has my health improved, but also my demeanour. Because of running, I’m far less prone to stress.

I could kick myself for not having started running sooner, and will continue to run for as long as my body will allow.

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