These people used running to totally transform their bodies – and lives.
There are tons of fad diets and gimmicks promising quick weight loss. But the reality is, in order to lose excess weight, it helps to burn more kilojoules than you consume. To do that, there is no better tool than running. Want proof? Check out the amazing transformations of these seven people who used running to change their lives.
1. Greg Korck
Age: 33
Home Town: Cape Town
Height: 1.92m
Occupation: Sales Director
Time Required: 3 Years
Then: 130kg
Now: 90kg
THE WAKE-UP
At high school I was active, and when I left matric I played a little sport. But then life got in the way. The funny thing is, when I looked in the mirror I didn’t even notice my weight had ballooned to 130 kilograms. It was only when I went for an annual medical check-up that concerns were raised. My blood pressure was extremely high, and my doctor gave me a choice: either shed some kilos, or start taking tablets to get my cholesterol back under control.
THE SHAKE-UP
At the time I was only 28 years old, and I didn’t want to start taking medication at such a young age. So there was only one thing for it: I would have to lose weight.
I went to see a dietician, and she recommended a healthy-eating plan. She helped me to realise that what I put into my body affects what I get out of it. My wife and I began walking around a three-kilometre loop close to our home, and eventually my dietician recommended I join a running club.
Sticking to my new routine was challenging at first, but I soon got over that when I saw the positive difference it was making, both mentally and physically.
THE REWARD
Running has played a massive role in my weight loss. If you’d have told me three years ago that I’d go on to run 15 marathons (PB: 3:29, on a hilly course) and achieve a Comrades personal best of 8:56, I probably would’ve given myself a heart attack by laughing so hard. But not only has running encouraged me to lead a healthier lifestyle; it has taught me that with hard work, anything is possible.
And through my newfound passion, I’ve met like-minded people who’ve become lifelong friends – they’ve helped me on my journey in a way that only runners will understand.
2. Henry Crause
Age: 33
Home Town: Despatch
Height: 1.6m
Occupation: Professional Nurse – Life St George’s Hospital
Time Required: 2.5 months
Then: 98.7kg
Now: 69.5kg
THE WAKE-UP
My sensei noticed I was overweight. I was participating in our national championships and felt very out of breath. After my kumite (fighting), he told me straight that I was too fat, and that I wouldn’t get any further unless I was willing to slim down.
I had succumbed to working life, which is different to being at school: you don’t have time to be active with your friends, and when you’re on the go, it’s easier to grab a quick bite at a fast-food restaurant.
THE SHAKE-UP
I followed a strict diet, carefully monitoring my kilojoule intake. I took up CrossFit in the mornings, and at night I started walking five kilometres – in Crocs! When my weight began to drop and I felt stronger, I bought some running shoes and started jogging. Soon, I could run five kilometres with ease, and began gradually upping my distance to 10 kilometres.
Watching my family eat whatever they wanted, while I had to watch what I ate, took tremendous willpower. Finding the time to exercise between work and my personal life was also difficult. There were some people who doubted I would be able to keep the weight off; they said I would return to my old habits.
THE REWARD
I joined an athletics club in Despatch, and achieved a time of 1:49 at my first half marathon. By committing to my weight-loss – despite temptation, and the fact that others doubted me – I’ve learned that the mind is powerful enough to help you achieve anything. My rewards might sound silly to some; but to be able to wear smaller clothes, and have people hardly recognise the new me, is just the best!
3. Tshidi Laka
Age: 37
Home Town: Pretoria
Height: 1.6m
Occupation: Domestic worker
Time Required: 11 months
Then: 128kg
Now: 88kg
THE WAKE-UP
At 128kg, I didn’t like the way I looked. Out of sheer desperation, I started running around my local soccer field alone. Six weeks later, I’d lost seven kilograms, but I still felt like something was missing.
At the time I was working as a helper for a gynaecologist, and she asked me what I wanted for my birthday. When I told her I wanted a set of bathroom scales, to help me lose weight, she recommended I book an appointment with a dietician; which I’d never considered, because I’d always thought dieticians, and the ‘health food’ I imagined they’d recommend, were something I couldn’t afford.
THE SHAKE-UP
My boss kindly organised a free consultation with a dietician, who was a friend of hers. The dietician helped me to transform my eating habits, by becoming mindful of what I was eating and when I was eating it. My new diet includes plenty of fruit and vegetables, fibre and three litres of water a day. I always ask myself, Why am I eating this? Is it because my body actually needs it, or is it because I’m bored, or simply because it’s there?
Each day, after work, I run for 30 to 40 minutes. I refer to this time as my ‘appointment with my body’.
THE REWARD
My first race was in March this year, and so far I’ve achieved six 10-kilometre-race medals. Words can’t describe how wonderful I feel right now: I can definitely say I’m motivated to reach my goal weight of 70kg, and I can walk distances with ease that I couldn’t before. My story has inspired all those who know how much I weighed before I started my journey – so much so that they have joked I should quit my job in favour of motivating others to lose weight!
4. Elana Afrika-Bredenkamp
Age: 35
Home Town: Cape Town
Height: 1.62m
Occupation: Television and radio presenter
Time Required: 3 months
Then: 72kg
Now: 57kg
THE WAKE-UP
When I was pregnant with the most beautiful, coolest little girl, I picked up 12kg. Which was normal; but in my third trimester, I developed some bizarre eating habits. Among my cravings were peaches, salt-and vinegar crisps, and loads of fruit juice. At lunchtime, I tucked into two hamburgers – and I don’t even like them!
THE SHAKE-UP
The most exercise I’d ever done was one Pilates class a week. So when I started running with a trainer, nine weeks after the birth of my daughter, I found even the first 800 metres hard. In fact, it was so difficult I only managed around five kilometres over the course of the next six weeks! My biggest challenge was finding the time to fit running into my busy schedule. My trainer had committed to running with me, which motivated me to stick to my goal. Running my first five-kay race, I realised I had grown to enjoy running, because of its benefits: it’s cheap, gets you outside in the fresh air, and helps you to lose weight.
THE REWARD
Perseverance and hard work led to achieving a goal – in this case it was a five-kay race, but I can apply the principle to just about every aspect of my life. I’ve joined the running community in Cape Town, and I’ve added running to a list of hobbies that includes golf and cooking. At 57kg, I’m happy with my weight. I don’t have to be on a controlled diet to keep it off: all I have to do is enjoy exercise.
5. Demitri Baroutsos
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.
6. Toni Cavanagh
Age: 48
Home Town: Cape Town
Height: 1.58m
Occupation: Head of Development and co-founder, Virtual Learning Africa
Time Required: 11 months
Then: 83kg
Now: 66kg
THE WAKE-UP
In 2009, I was diagnosed with degenerative-disc disease and ankylosing spondylitis (a form of spinal arthritis). After months of crippling pain, I underwent surgery – a total disc replacement. Barely recovered in 2010, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and within a year presented with symptoms of multiple sclerosis.
My weight ballooned almost immediately, and my freedom of movement deteriorated to a fraction of what it was before. Nothing prepares you for the shock of learning that your life – as you’ve known and loved it – is about to change irrevocably.
THE SHAKE-UP
It wasn’t until a friend said in passing that he doesn’t like fat people – because, he said, they have no ambition and are weak (!) – that I decided I had to do something great. In September 2014, I made a commitment to run the Two Oceans Half Marathon. At the time, I’d never run further than 200 metres, didn’t even own a pair of running shoes, and suffered from a debilitating autoimmune disease. Even doctors told me I had a death wish. Accepting that what others thought was not my problem was a tough challenge to overcome.
I planned my training programmes meticulously around my chemo days, and stuck to a healthy, anti-inflammatory diet. When I headed out for my first 5-K walk, I battled; and I looked at my shadow on the pavement and thought, “Wow. You’re a big shadow.”
Undeterred, I downloaded a running app on my phone, monitored my performance, and started keeping a food diary. Sure enough, the weight started shifting, and I was run/walking for the first time in a long while. My inflammation was under control and I was free of pain. By the time I ran my first 10km race, I’d lost 7kg – but to me, it felt like a ton.
THE REWARD
Running has made me stronger and healthier; so much so that by September this year, I was in remission. In 11 months, I’ve run 20 races, ranging from the 10km to a full marathon. Throughout, I have never been injured. In learning I’m not that delicate after all, I’ve silenced my critics – and won back my life.
7. Jacqui Rens
Age: 41
Home Town: Cape Town
Height: 1.70m
Occupation: Owner of Exquisite Ice (a diamond store)
Time Required: 1 year
Then: 105kg
Now: 83kg
THE WAKE-UP
After hearing the devastating news that having children of my own would probably never be a possibility, I turned to comfort eating, and my weight ballooned. I joke that I got off the couch for the first time at 40, but it’s actually true. Until I turned 40, I’d avoided exercise, but now I tipped the scales at over 100kg – and it made me feel miserable.
THE SHAKE-UP
I changed my diet, drank two litres of water a day, downloaded a running app and started running on the treadmill. For me, the biggest challenge was my own negative self-talk. I had to make an effort to tell myself I was awesome every day, even if I didn’t believe it. I also had to think of different ways to fuel my body for the rigorous training, because I’m a lacto-vegetarian. And exercise was difficult when I weighed more – it took more effort. But when I put my mind to something, I don’t usually give up.
I remember feeling ecstatic when I finished my first Parkrun, with one of my pugs at my side, in 50 minutes. When I ran my first 15km road run with a friend, I didn’t make the cut-off, and by the time I got to the finish line, everyone else had gone home – but I did it!
Then I enlisted the help of Embark running coach Garth Dorman to help me prepare for the Two Oceans Half. And even though my partner’s more into football, he bought himself a pair of trail-running shoes, so that he could run with me.
THE REWARD
Garth and some of my Embark teammates waited for me at the finish line of the Two Oceans Half to cheer me in, even though it took me just over three hours. I finished with two minutes to spare before the cut-off (3:08).
Since I ran it off, I’ve done other things I couldn’t do before, like climbing Table Mountain, and running in the mountains in Stellenbosch. It feels nice when people I don’t know make a point of telling me I’m inspirational.
For 6 Basic Ways to Adjust Your Eating Habits for Weight-Loss, click here.
Want to start running? Start here.
