Saturday’s Viking Half Marathon course was 13.1 miles, but the distance John Favara covered to get to the finish line was a lot further than that.
Thirteen months ago, Favara was out of shape and overweight and could barely jog more than a block. That’s when he decided he needed to get back into shape.
“I was way too heavy,” Favara said. “I’ve got two small kids, and I couldn’t keep up with them.”
Since, the 44-year-old Greenwood man has built his endurance and shed 40 pounds.
“I’m in a lot better shape than I’ve ever been in my adult life,” he said.
He started the process by going on simple walks around his neighborhood. Initially, he didn’t intend to take up jogging, much less attempt anything like a half marathon. While he was out on a walk, though, a couple of friends — Ben Naron and Tim Taylor — came running past and egged Favara on to join them.
“I said there’s no possible way,” Favara said. “I was 210 pounds and had never run further than a block since I was a kid.”
Still, he gave it a shot and managed to keep up — but only for a short distance. “I ran about three or four blocks that morning and decided if they can do it, I can do it,” Favara said.
In the early going, he quickly got winded.
“The thing that I was doing wrong was I was trying to run too fast,” he said. “Ben and Tim both said, ‘You’re trying to run way too fast. Shuffle your feet, and you’ll be able to run a lot further.’”
After a couple of weeks, Favara managed to jog a mile. Within a month, he’d completed his first 5K, or 3.1 miles, at last year’s Viking Half Marathon. From there, commitment and gradual improvement let him go farther and faster than he ever thought he could.
As he pounded the pavement, the pounds also started to fall away.
“The quickest way to start running further is to lose weight. Those things go hand in hand,” Favara said.
As the miles added up, they also got easier, and he started to add some distance — mostly around 3 miles. Then, about four months ago, Taylor suggested they try running a 10K (or 6.2- mile) race.
“I said, ‘If we can run six miles, I think we should go ahead and run a half marathon,’” Favara said. “We’re in the best shape we might ever be in, and we’re not getting any younger.”
The two found a running plan online and got started training for the longest distance either of them had ever run.
“We stuck to the plan. We ran through every kind of weather there is: 11-degree cold, rain, sickness,” Favara said. “We run from 5:30 to 6:30 basically every morning.”
Although those early morning wake-up times weren’t always easy, both men said some friendly pressure and motivation helped them stick to the plan.
“It takes two people to motivate each other,” Favara said. “I’m sure I motivate him, and he absolutely motivates me.”
After Saturday’s race, Favara said he felt sore but was thrilled with the accomplishment.
Although he said he didn’t have plans to run another half marathon, he said there are plenty of other, shorter races in his future.
“Unless I hurt myself, I plan to run the rest of my life,” he said.
To get back into shape, he said, the key is persistence — and a good pair of running shoes.
“Start out slow, and then do a little bit more each day,” he said. “It won’t be long before you’ll be able to run as far as you want to run.”
