Martinus Evans Started Running Out of Spite, but Soon He Was Hooked

Martinus Evans is a big man.

But before he started running in 2012, he was an even bigger man.

Martinus Evans

A Spiteful Start to Running

Martinus started running, in a round about way, because of a problem with his hip. He went to his primary care doctor who in turn sent him to a physical therapist.

He eventually ended up seeing an orthopedic surgeon who was very blunt with him. The surgeon told him he knew why Martinus was having his hip problems.

When Martinus asked him why, the surgeon was very blunt. “Because you are fat.”

Martinus was very angry when the surgeon told him he was fat.

The things we don't want to hear and get angry at the most, 9 times out of 10 are the things we most need to hear. Click To Tweet

The doctor suggested walking to try and lose some weight, but Martinus said “screw the walking” I’m going to run a marathon!

At the time, Martinus didn’t even know what a marathon was! And to top it off, the doctor told him he was basically stupid to think he was going to run a marathon.

Needless to say, Martinus has never gone back to that doctor again!

Figuring Out Running Along the Way

No Looking Back for Martinus Evans

After his encounter with the surgeon, Martinus drove directly to Fleet Feet and bought a pair of running shoes.

Then he found out what a marathon actually was and became slightly discouraged. But he didn’t give up.

Martinus played football his junior and senior years of high school, and played some in college as well.

He knew nothing about distance running. To him, anything over 30 seconds of running was considered too far.

Point blank, he hated running.

But he stuck with it, despite all of the reasons that he could have given up.

The Power of Community

Running for fitness and health in the black community was not highly regarded when Martinus started running.

Although Martinus received a lot of support from family and friends, he also lost some friends.

His lifestyle changed as he was working toward his goal of running a marathon, and not all of his relationships changed with it.

Martinus has felt tremendous support from the running community.

Martinus said this about the running community, “…once you’re in, you can’t get rid of them!”

Continuing to Change and Grow

The anger that initially inspired Martinus to get running has produced tremendous growth in Martinus’s life.

Since starting to run in 2012, Martinus has run several races including the Detroit Marathon in his home town. He has also started a blog and recently launched a podcast called 300 pounds and running.

When I asked Martinus what running meant to him, he said it means defying the odds.

He was basically told by a doctor that fat people shouldn’t run.

Maybe not in those exact words but reading between the lines, he came away with that message.

But he proved that doctor wrong, and he continues to inspire others to defy the odds in their lives as well!  

Martinus Evans with the Heel Click

If you want to connect with Martinus, check out his website and say hi to him on Twitter and/or Instagram (and just about any other social media platform as well).

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