From 463 Pounds to 300 Pounds | Last Honolulu Marathon finisher shares his inspiring story
By Cynthia Yip
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HONOLULU (KITV) — Finishing the Honolulu Marathon is an amazing accomplishment — even if you finish last. The last person to cross the finish line not only conquered the race, but also completed a remarkable personal journey.
“When I started my journey, I could honestly barely like walk a block. And so from there till now is a lot of work. And I had done when I trained and I knew I was really slow. But it was really important just to finish and just keep pushing,” Andy Sloan said.
Sloan ran in his first marathon on Sunday with the encouragement of family and friends who are supporting his road to a healthier life style. Sloan began his journey in 2017 when he was 463 pounds. Today, the 36-year-old from the Chicago Area is about 300 pounds. His fuel – parents, family and friends.
“It was tough because I was on my feet for a long time, and it was a little hotter than Chicago. But I just thought of the people I love and people who mean a lot to me. I got really emotional. Halfway there, I started crying, honestly, because it just meant a lot just like how much work I put in,” Sloan said.
This is Sloan’s first marathon and he crossed the finish line at just under 17 hours.
“There were a lot of moments on the course where I doubted myself. And I always tell people that I can gut things out and push through and it was really hot and I just felt a sense of pride and a sense of just really pure joy pure elation and happiness to finish,” Sloan said.
He hopes to inspire others who are on a similar marathon to better health Journey.
“I really do is to to try to inspire people whenever you’re dealing with whatever it is like just take that first step, one step after the other it’s not easy and you know, like it’s there going to be really difficult times but if I can do it. You can do it too,” Sloan said.
Sloan symbolizes how the human spirit can overcome personal obstacles to achieve our dreams.
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