Since making a commitment to his most extreme fitness challenge yet aimed at raising obesity awareness, Samir Becic, Harper Collins author of the book ReSYNC Your Life and four-time winner of the award of No. 1 Fitness Trainer in America, has successfully completed six marathons in his noble quest of completing eight marathons in eight weeks while wearing compressed weights that match the equivalent of an obese person’s weight. Becic’s seventh full marathon race is slated for Sunday, March 18, at the LA Marathon in California.
The LA Marathon, dubbed “From the Stadium to the Sea” is a popular race in which over 24,000 athletes from all 50 states and more than 63 countries will set out from Dodger Stadium to accomplish a personal dream by reaching the marathon’s finish line in Santa Monica. Over the course of its 31-year history, the LA Marathon has become one of the largest marathons in the country with thousands of volunteers and hundreds of thousands of spectators.
The historic race and its unique course attracts runners from all over the world to take a tour of the city of Los Angeles while running past every major landmark. In 2014, the LA Marathon charity program continued its tremendous growth as 91 participating charities combined to raise a cumulative total of $3.7 million.
During the LA Marathon, as he has done in each of his previous six marathons, Becic will wear a 73.5-pound weighted vest and shorts that, when multiplied by 1.6 to simulate human mass, equals a total of 117.6 pounds. With Becic already weighing in at 215 pounds, the total loaded weight on his body equals 332.6 pounds, which is equal 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, in which he completed the full 26.2 miles in 5:52:48, and his live updates can be seen here. Prior to participating in the Chevron Houston Marathon, 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. On Feb. 18, he completed his fifth marathon in Austin, Texas, with his best time yet of 5:43, his live updates can be seen here. On March 3, Samir completed his sixth marathon in the Woodlands, Texas, with a time of 5:43 again, and his live updates can be seen here.
Stay tuned to the Health Fitness Revolution magazine for Live Updates during his race!
