Accountant aims to profit from amazing weight loss by clocking a marathon PB

Dan Woodgate is only half the man he used to be…and he’s delighted.

Just over two years ago the 38-year-old accountant topped the scales at 27st. Now he weighs just 13st and is looking forward to taking on the challenge of the Asda Foundation Yorkshire Marathon.

Father-of-two Dan made moves to improve his health and fitness following the death of his father in October 2016.

He said: “My dad died after a short illness and our family were devastated. At this point I weighed 23st and had two young children – Xavier, who was 17-months-old at that time, and Martha, aged 3 months. I thought about my own mortality and, with my future and my family in mind, I changed my life. I joined Slimming World in April 2017 and lost 3st in 3 months.”

Keen to complement his dieting with exercise, Dan, who lives in Thornaby, North Yorkshire, went to his local parkrun.

“I had never been a runner and thought about going to watch and see how it worked, but knew that wouldn't help me lose weight, so I took the plunge and ran it. 41:41 was my first ever one and I was in love with it.

“PBs followed week after week and now, after 95 parkruns, my fastest time is 23:32. The more I ran, the more I enjoyed it. I entered local 10ks and ran the Great North Run for a local hospice, running in memory of my Dad.”

Last October Dan ran his first marathon in Lucerne and clocked 4h 54m, a time he bettered by 30 minutes at this year’s London Marathon.

“Running has literally become an everyday part of my life and I will be toeing the line in Yorkshire weighing around 13st, that's having lost more than half of my body weight in total.

“I chose Yorkshire as it is quite a different marathon from my first two and I also consider it to be my 'home' marathon. I hope to run at least 2 marathons every year from now on and, hopefully, I can achieve my first sub 4 hour marathon at Yorkshire.”

Dan’s come a long way since the days he ran under the cover of darkness because he was embarrassed about his weight.

He said: “Now, however, I don't care - I feel so much fitter and healthier and love to spread the joy of running to anyone who will listen. I started with a few small steps in August 2017 and now I am on the cusp of completing my 3rd marathon.”