Inspiring Canadian running weight loss stories

Weight loss and running have always had a chicken-and-egg type of relationship: it’s not always clear which one comes first. For some overweight runners, it can be crucial to drop a few pounds before starting a run- ning program to reduce stress on the joints. For others, the running comes first. Then the weight starts to come off in synch.

No matter how you look at it, losing weight and starting a running program is hard work with many ups and downs. Thank- fully, there are plenty of inspiring runners across Canada who have successfully made the journey from overweight to healthy.

Rapid Transformation 

For Todd Ralph, it started when he turned 40. A 230-pound smoker, he kicked one habit and started another – taking up running and losing 60 pounds

in less than six months. He calls running the Tely 10 Miler with his wife and two kids one of the highlights of his life. The harsh climate of Paradise, N.L., continues to make running even more of a challenge. “When I first started running, I would be hurting after only a few hundred metres. My form was horrible and I became tired easily. I just wanted to stop and kneel down.”

Along with the exercise regiment, a diet of veggies and boiled chicken helped him get to his goal, and Ralph now considers himself a lifelong runner. He’s the president of Paradise Running Club ( paradiserunningclub.com) and earned an award for inspiring others to start running – including his wife. She ran her first half-marathon in May at the Ottawa Race Weekend, where Ralph made his marathon debut.

Mind Over Matter 

Like many Canadians, Karen Kenesky made a new year’s resolution to lose weight and get healthy in 2013. Running was a key part of her

weight-loss plan. Kenesky, of Campden, Ont., says she was 180 pounds and “terribly out of shape” when she started trying to lose weight. She was also worried about her breathing. As she struggled through her runs, her mind jumped to scary conclusions. “I was diagnosed with asthma as a child,” she recalls, “and seemed to use it as a crutch to get out of any phys- ical exercise. At this point in time, I was starting to think maybe it was more than asthma. [Was it] chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or perhaps lung cancer?”

Fighting through the negative thoughts was just as tough as the physical activity itself. But, methodically, Kenesky conquered her demons. “Psychologically, I gave myself small goals, such as, by next week I wanted to run a half kilometre without stopping. Then a full kilometre and so on.”

She combined a new diet with some vigorous walking, which then turned into running. The results were encouraging. She no longer struggled to run past 200m and within a few months noticed the weight and waist-sizes starting to drop. Kenesky was ready for her first race: a 1k fun run. By the end of the year, she had lost 30 pounds and four pant sizes. Now, Kenesky is training for her first half-marathon.

Walk to Run 

Karen Taylor could barely run for a minute straight when she first started out, but a walk-run

program and some encouragement from her husband helped her reach her goal weight. Taylor started Weight Watchers and noticed big changes. “As I lost weight, my health improved, and I felt like I really wanted to become more active,” she says. Within 10 weeks of starting her walk to run program, Taylor ran a 5k. A year after that, she ran her first half-marathon. Now a five-marathon veteran, Taylor says she still struggles with her weight, but as long as she keeps running, it’s manageable.

Elite Help 

Sometimes a little help from an elite runner can be a huge boost. Just ask Margaret Buttner of Vancouver. She credits Boston Marathon pioneer Kathrine Switzer for helping her lose weight and achieving her running goals. Buttner met Switzer

while co-chairing the bmo Vancouver Marathon. “Seeing how people respond to her is remarkable, and she always has time for a chat, a hug and a photo,” Buttner says. “I end up feeling energized as a result.” Buttner, who started out as a running volunteer before becoming a runner herself, says Switzer gives her the “Yes, I can” feeling every time.

Buttner has lost 25 pounds in the past six months and continues to work towards her goal weight. Running is becoming easier, but she still respects the overall difficulty of the challenge. “I won’t pretend that I don’t mind slowing down to a fast walk occasion- ally, but I can tell that I do have the endurance and hope that in my first race (the bmo Vancouver 8k) I will take inspiration from those around me and build up some speed.”

Drastic Improvement 

When Kari Bussard ran her first 5k at the Maritime Race Weekend in September 2012, she knew it wouldn’t be her last. “I was on top of the world,” she recalls, finishing that run in 42:19. Inspired by how good it felt to be a runner, Bussard returned to the same event a year later with more training – and less weight – under her belt. She was 60 pounds lighter and finished 12 minutes faster in 30:11.

She started to lose weight and without much effort, her eating habits become healthier as well. Bussard went from a size 16 to a size 6. “I feel better. I’m healthier and have way more energy, but most importantly I have found a passion for running.” Bussard says her new routine has helped her burn calories, get rid of stress and make friends at the Heart and Sole Running Club in Dartmouth, N.S.