As some of you will know I used to be a massive 22 and a half stone (see gallery below) and couldn't even run for the bus, no matter how excited I might have been to get to Asda at the Marina. I had dodgy knees and achy parts and fitting in shower cubicles was tough. About 5 years ago I decided that I'd had enough of not being able to bend over far enough to do my laces up, so I lost 8 stone. I also got into running and have been merrily doing 5ks a few times a week for around 3 years now. 

Running was so painful in the beginning that a personal trainer told me not to run at all and stick to the bike. And that was after the weight loss. I wasn't having any of that, though. It's not quite a tale to equal Jonnie Peacock's but it's a big deal to me; I had high blood pressure at 34 years old and was well on the way to a heart attack. Now I'm running, and championing kale. My blood pressure is normal now too.

I'm also a passionate vegan of 4 years and believe it's the way forward for a strained planet where many of us are ill - or unknowingly nurturing ill health - because of how we eat. It's also bonkers that in 2015 we're still treating animals appallingly - conveniently out of sight - and killing them for food when our insights into nutrition show us that we don't need to. A recent blood test of mine showed nutrient levels were all well within the healthy range (not that I'm proto-vegan or anything).

I've been a member of The Vegan Society for years. They do a lot of good work promoting the vegan lifestyle and making it accessible to all. I'd like to support them by running in their name.

I'll be completing this event as an ex-obese chap who used to only be any good at sitting down. I'm also running on plants. Please support me if you can, regardless of which of those facts resonate with you.

Thank you, 

Jase.

(Brighton Half Marathon, Sunday 22nd Feb)

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