Yes, you read that title correctly. As a teenager John Verhagen was a 300lb high school football player with an eye on playing in college. After getting recruited to several small schools in the Upper-Midwest, John was forced to give up his dream. His health was in jeopardy due to his weight and diet. Football was gone - as was the soda, pop, and many of John's staple foods. And, that's when running entered the picture. John's first marathon turned into a bit of a ordeal. He crossed the line in 5:50 and shortly thereafter made an audacious decision - "I will qualify for Boston." In order to do that John would have to cross the line in nearly half the time of his first effort. As you'll hear in this one-of-a-kind episode, that is exactly what he proceeded to do. And much, much more. Last weekend John won the McKirdy Trained Micro Marathon on Connecticut with a blazing fast 2:49:30. This eight minute PR came after a mammoth 300 mile March and a secret injury that even John's coach, Patrick Cutter, was kept in the dark about. Sponsors: Do you want to run further and faster -- and recover quicker and easier? Do you want to feel healthier than you’ve ever felt before? Then give InsideTracker a try. First, InsideTracker uses its patented algorithm to analyze your body’s data and offer you a clearer picture than you’ve ever had before of what’s going on inside you. Then, they provide a concrete, science-backed, trackable action plan for reaching your performance goals and being your healthy best. InsideTracker is offering my listeners 25% off at www.insidetracker.com/ramblingrunner with code RAMBLINGRUNNER. Follow Matt: Instagram - @rambling_runner Twitter - @rambling_runner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices