Legend: 570 Pound Man To Run One Month A Year To Turn His Life Around

Meet Derek Mitchell… the man, the legend. He’s a 570-pound man from Kansas City who decided enough was enough, and is turning his life around.

Derek had the realisation that unless he took drastic action, he was putting his life at rick. So he decided to get in shape. The 34-year-old cut soda out of his diet and vowed to run in a marathon every single month.

He started by walking around his neighbourhood on a daily basis and keeping track of his progress using a jogging app, but he wanted to take things to the next level.

Believe it or not, Derek just completed his first 5k of the year and plans to run in many more in the coming months.

He finished the Big 12 Run (a 3.1-mile run) this month in 1:27:44. And still plans to run in a total of 11 5Ks by the end of 2015. A big target, but one we’re sure he can achieve given the determination he’s already displayed.

Source: nbc-2.com

Even though Derek may be larger than you’d expect of a marathon runner, he isn’t letting his size stop him.

“Originally, I started this for myself because I needed to get healthy,” Derek told Runners World Newswire. “But it’s amazing the way you can inspire people to get up and get moving just by doing something simple like finishing a 5K.”

Now, thanks to the generous donations of supporters (via his GoFundMe
page

), Derek will be participating in the Glow Run 5K on June 27th.

Good for you Derek!