Since making a commitment to his most extreme fitness challenge yet, Samir Becic, Harper Collins author of the book ReSYNC Your Life and 4 time winner of the title No. 1 Fitness Trainer in America, has reached the halfway point of his quest to complete eight marathons in eight weeks while matching the equivalence of an obese weight by wearing added compressed weights. Becic has officially completed four out of the eight marathons, with his next event slated for Sunday, Feb. 18, at the Austin Marathon – Austin, Texas.
Austin is a city known for its rolling hills and breath-taking scenery. While running his marathon with extra added weight to his body, Becic will face further challenges with the added difficulty that comes with Austin’s hilly terrain. Not to mention, Becic has a knee injury and has obtained a serious cough from inflammation and pressure on his body from the last marathon in San Antonio. Successfully completing the Austin Marathon, one of the largest marathon races in the U.S., would also qualify Becic for the Boston Marathon which is known as the world’s oldest and best known marathons.
During each marathon, Becic wears a 73.5-pound weighted vest and shorts which, when multiplied by 1.6 to simulate the equivalent of human mass, equals 117.6 pounds. With Becic already weighing in at 215 pounds, the total loaded weight on his body equals 332.6 pounds, which is equivalent to an obese weight.
Statistics show that 1 in 3 Americans are obese, and 360,000 deaths occur annually due to health complications related to obesity. Becic believes this epidemic needs to stop, and he needs the community’s help in order to end this crisis. “America currently holds the highest percentage of obesity in the world, at 35 percent nationwide,” Becic said. “My goal with this extreme fitness challenge is to raise awareness of the obesity epidemic in America, and hopefully bring it to an end so that we as a country can become the fittest nation in the world.”
Becic’s extreme fitness challenge began on Jan. 14, 2018, with the Chevron Houston Marathon, and will end on March 11, 2018, at the I Ran Flagships Marathon Bosnia and Herzegovina in Navarro, Texas. Becic completed the full 26.2-mile Chevron Houston Marathon in 5:52:48, and his live updates can be seen here. Prior to participating in the Chevron Houston Marathon on Jan. 14, Becic had never before run a marathon, and he is not an avid runner. On Jan. 20, he completed his second marathon in Dallas, and his live updates can be seen here. On Jan. 28, he ran a marathon in Sugarland, Texas, and finished with a time of 5:49:39, and his live updates can be seen here. On Feb. 4, he completed his fourth marathon in San Antonio, Texas, and his live updates can be seen here.
Stay tuned to the Health Fitness Revolution magazine for Live Updates during his race!
