Feb 13, 2019
Martinus Evans has an amazing story. From a young age, he's been very overweight and ended up at over 350 pounds at one point. He's not even sure of his weight because most scales stop there.
And he's had struggles. He's had injuries. He's had weight related issues.
But that all changed one day after a visit to his doctor. His body wasn't feeling good, he wasn't moving well, and he thought he might have a serious health issue.
Instead his doctor told him "I know what's wrong. You're fat and you need to start walking". Now this isn't inherently bad advice, but it pissed Martinus off. Enough that he told the doctor that he was going to skip the walking and go right into running, which his doctor laughed at.
After storming out of his office, he did exactly what he said he would. He stopped at the first shoe store he saw, bought some running sneakers, and started out on his adventure.
And he hasn't stopped since.
He's run dozes of races all over the country, inspiring others along the way. His brand is 300 Pounds and Running, where he shares his experiences, lessons, tips, and motivation with a very engaged and supportive community, runs a podcast, and has inspired tens of thousands of what he calls “back of the packers” to start running.
His story has been spread across the media and he’s been featured in Runner’s World, Live Strong, Shape, Detroit Free Press, Winnipeg Free Press, Diets in Review, and WTNH News 8.
An interesting thing about him; Martinus' mission isn't to lose weight or even get healthy necessarily, it's to run. He just loves running, how it makes him feel and what he accomplishes with each successful race.
He says "I do not like to think of 300 Pound and Running as a weight loss blog, running blog or health lifestyle blog, but rather a self-improvement blog because believe it or not, a weight loss journey has more to do about overcoming psychological barriers and dealing with traumas than it does about losing a few pounds.”
I found Martinus to be humble and genuine and loved his message. He's not just another "fat to fit" guy, he's someone who has a passion for running and is doing what he loves with the body he has.
He doesn't need to win every race and doesn't even try. It's the goal. It's the accomplishment. It's the medals. These are what drives him. And many people are following suit. He's even created a brand called Slow AF and I think it's hilarious.
A fitness coach might look at him and think he needs to start looking at his health and body fat or he might end up with diabetes, heart disease, or another obesity related illness, but I'm not here to judge him.
He knows all the risks. He understands the human body. And according to him, his blood panel numbers are solid. But regardless, at the end of the day, he loves what he's doing and is happy with his lifestyle choices.
That's a win in my book.