Local man’s half marathon bid after losing seven stone

Around twelve months ago, Athlone man James McCormack “wasn’t even able to run for 100 metres.”

He was seriously overweight, weighing over 26 stone at his heaviest, and “in a bad place mentally.”

Now living in Canada, the 29-year-old has since embarked on a remarkable weight loss journey which has seen him lose over seven stone. 

He is currently preparing for his toughest challenge yet: running the Toronto half marathon on Sunday, May 6.

One of James’s main motivations for the half marathon challenge is to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society as his Mum, Kathleen, has been battling cancer for the last five years and is currently quite ill.

“The main reason that I’ve chosen the Irish Cancer Society is that I would love to do something to make my Mam proud,” said James.

“She has been through so much with all of this, but she has been so strong and so brave. She really is an inspiration to me and nothing at all seems to faze her.

“Sometimes it’s hard not being at home by her side when she’s going through this battle, but we have a very tight-knit family and I know she’s being looked after very well. I know everybody always thinks their own Mammy is the best Mammy in the world, and I’m no different.”

Along with his girlfriend, Nicola Monaghan from Ballymore, James moved to Toronto early last year.

He told the Westmeath Independent that his main reason for setting out to lose weight was that he was “just so sick of things and miserable all the time.”

“I abused my body with alcohol and food for years and was just so fed up and ashamed of myself,” he said.

“I began to appreciate the fact that I only get one life and should respect my health. There is so much tragedy and pain in the world already, and life is so fragile. So I felt it was time I should turn things around and just ‘man up’.”

As he embarked on the weight loss journey, he set up Facebook, Instagram and YouTube accounts under the name ‘Wont Fit Get Fit’ to provide updates on his progress.

In a YouTube video, he said taking up running was a major factor in helping him shed the pounds, and over time his fitness improved to the extent that he could finish 5k races, and then two 10k races. However he said the half marathon would be a major test.

“I still weigh over 19 stone, so it’s safe to say that, for me, running a half marathon is easily the toughest challenge I’ve taken on in my life, but it’s a challenge I’m going to relish and give it my all.”

You can watch one of his YouTube videos here:

He said his main message for people struggling with their weight was that he previously never believed he would have it in him to make such a dramatic change.

“I was the most lazy, de-motivated person you could ever meet. I couldn’t see a way out, yet with the right frame of mind and attitude I managed to slowly get healthy and lose the weight.

“I know it’s a cliché, but if I can do it then anybody can. I really believe each person has the ability to change if they just believe in themselves.”

With the half marathon approaching, he has set up a fundraising page for donations to the Irish Cancer Society, and at the time of writing over 2,000 Canadian dollars (around €1,300) has been raised.

“The race is in a few weeks. I have set a target of $5,000 and I would be thrilled to hit that mark,” he said this week.

James praised the work of the Irish Cancer Society and said “there’s no individual out there whose life hasn’t been affected by this horrific disease in some way.”

He added, in a YouTube video, that people often feel “powerless and helpless” when a loved one is battling cancer.

“What can any one person do? Probably not a lot. But at least by me entering this race, and then if you can donate something - anything you can afford - we can all take some satisfaction in knowing that we did something instead of nothing,” he said.

James’s fundraising page can be found at: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/james-torontohalf

For more details about his weight loss journey, look up ‘Wont Fit Get Fit’ on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube.