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This is part 1 of a 2 part podcast series with 300 Pounds and Running on this viral letter to Race Directors. Check out RunEatRepeat.com for pics of Martinus Evans, his favorite gear & shoes. And Iโm challenging you to see things from another point of view. Follow @RunEatRepeat on Instagram so you donโt miss a thing!

Today Iโm talking to Martinus Evans from 300 Pounds and Running and weโre doing something different โ this is part 1 of 2 episodes.
Weโre splitting it because we were set to talk about his recent article that went viral – AN OPEN LETTER TO RACE DIRECTORS FROM THE BACK OF THE PACK.
But we started by talking about how he found running, weight loss and setbacks after his first marathonโฆ And I think his running journey is really important.
Running is hard.
Weight loss is hard.
And heโs had set backs โ but kept going. Itโs super important for us to remember โย keep going with whatever set backs we face.
There will be setbacks. Success is determined by how you handle set backs.
New here? Iโm Monica Olivas โ and I created RunEatRepeat.com to document training for my first full marathon and weight loss journey. While I was sharing my life the site grew an amazing community of runners, eaters and virtual friends all over the world and now itโs this podcast!
Check out Run Eat Repeat.com for more and follow @RunEatRepeat on Instagram for more.
Podcast warm up:
I listened to a Ted Radio Hour podcast a while back that stuck with me. I think it was about how weโre all different and how hard it is to see things from someone elseโs point of view. And a college professorโฆ
Imagine if all day today (or tomorrow if itโs late) you tried to see everything from someone elseโs view?
Every interaction you have today โ put yourself in the other personโs shoes and listen carefully. Then, put yourself in their position and try to feel how they feelโฆ see it exactly how they see it โ NOT how they should see it.
Try to understand them โ not judge them. Understand โhow they see you, how they see the world, how they much feelโฆ before you respond.
Weโre all just doing our best. And when someone is doing something that you think is wrong, or weird, or unhealthy or whateverโฆ there is a reason why. Itโs really hard to be friends with someone or help them if youโre busy judging them.
So today I challenge you to slow down and observe with a super open heart โ who the people around you truly are.
And part of me is saying this because that talk really stuck with me and I think itโs important. But also โ I realized that I identify with Martinus. I feel like Iโm like him. I get it. I feel overweight โ or like Iโll always identify as chubby (see my post on why Iโll always think Iโm fat). And I like that. I like that I feel like I connect with certain people because weโre the same on this deep level of how we experienced parts of life.
And it made me sad to think people are mean because they donโt get it and donโt identify with us.
Then, I realized that โฆ itโs easy for me to be compassionate towards someone I identify with. The real challenge would be to try and understand someone I disagree with or have nothing in common with.
With that โ I encourage you to be open minded and open hearted today. Letโs get to the interviewโฆ
Martinus Evans is the founder and voice behind the blog and podcast 300 Pounds and Running. Itโs been featured in Runnerโs World, Self.com, Live Strong, Shape Magazine and more.
He started running in 2012 after his doctor called him fat and laughed when he said he was going to run a marathon.
Since then heโs run over 30 races and has been an inspiration for larger runners worldwide.
Lately, he has been the talk of the running community with his recently published article: AN OPEN LETTER TO RACE DIRECTORS FROM THE BACK OF THE PACK โ weโre getting into that next time!
Martinus Evans from 300 Pounds and Running Podcast

Decided to run a marathon after a doctor told him he was overweight. He started with a couch to 5k training plan. And he built up his fitness and eventually ran a 10K, half marathon and a full marathon.
Then, he got into 2 big car accidents and couldnโt run for a year. He gained all the weight back and had to start all over again.
And now heโs back! After being benched for a year, then an injuryโฆ he was determined to get back to the runner he knew he was.
He just ran the NYC Marathon!
Weโre talking about his journey from a scary doctorโs visit to running a full marathon and losing the weight, gaining it back and how he got back better than before!
He recently wrote a blog post called โRe: AN OPEN LETTER TO RACE DIRECTORS FROM THE BACK OF THE PACKโ โ
that went viral because of itโs in-your-face tone and because it resonated with so many runners. I wanted to give him a chance to share his point of view on how back of the pack runners are treated at races and by some other runners. But โ we ended up talking about running and weight loss to start and it runs kinda long so this is going to be a 2 part series.
Today itโs about his story of becoming a runner, losing weight, having major setbacks and eventually getting back to the sport.
Next time weโll talk about his open letter blog post. Thereโs just so much!

On starting running and weight loss:ย
Going from Couch to 5K to Couch to 10K to eventually running a marathon.ย – He used various apps to find the best training plan for his needs.
Tips for new runners โ and the things he had to figure out for himself.
10K to half marathon and eventually a full marathon.
Why running a marathon isnโt a good way to lose weight. We both share how we gained weight while marathon training.
Post-race blues after his first marathon.
What stopped him from running for over a year.
Why weight loss isnโt his focus now.
RER: How much weight did you lose when you ran the full marathon?
Evans: โฆ lost about 80 to 90 poundsโฆ
RER: Iโve found running a full marathon isnโt super helpful to weight loss. Was that your experience?
Evans: โฆ Most of his weight loss came during training for the 5K and 10K runs.
300 Pounds and Running Favorites: :
> Favorite race / distance to run? half marathon
> What are your favorite running shoes?
ย HOKA ONE Clifton 5ย ย
And he used to wear Brooks Glycerin
> Must Have Running Gear?
Slow AF shirt tech tees up to 4 XL – https://300poundsandrunning.com/shop/

> What did you listen to on your last run / workout?
90s hip hop โ itunes playlist southern hip hop essentials โ hip hop workout โ running podcasts โ serial podcast
> Whatโs your favorite post-run / post- race victory lap?
Carrot Cake.
Follow him on this site and social media here:
Blog: http://www.300poundsandrunning.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/300poundsandrunning
Twitter: http://twitter.com/300lbsandrunnin
Instagram: http://instagram.com/300poundsandrunning/
Thank you for listening!
If your have 10 seconds โ tag @RunEatRepeat on instagram and tell meย what youโre doing while listening .
If you have 13 seconds โ subscribe to the show.
If you have 26 seconds –ย rate the show in your podcast app.
If you have any seconds after that โ text a family member and tell them you love them.
Have a great one!
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