Alumnus recognized by state for overcoming obesity

After turning to a friend and a book, a Central Michigan University alumnus was inspired to lose more than 100 pounds.

Mark Johnson, a finalist for the 2017 Conquering Obesity Award from the Michigan Governor’s Fitness Awards program, will be recognized by state legislators on April 20 in Lansing before going to Cobo Center in Detroit for the award gala, where winners are announced.

The Traverse City Record-Eagle reporter graduated from CMU in December 2014 with a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism. He was a reporter at Central Michigan Life and worked at the Gaylord Herald Times following graduation.

While working in Gaylord, the stress of deadlines and other pressures caused Johnson to adopt unhealthy habits. He started overeating, bringing home fast food and packs of Diet Mountain Dew every night. He also turned to alcohol.

“I spent weekends in my apartment, doing nothing but drinking beer and eating, leaving only to go through the Taco Bell drive-thru,” he said.

Johnson said his weight had not been an issue before that. A self-described “big, fun-loving and goofy guy,” Johnson rarely felt self-conscious about his obesity.

But one night, Johnson finally realized how bad things had become. After looking in the mirror, he felt disgusted by his reflection.

“That is when I knew I had to make some changes,” Johnson said.

He started running about a year and a half ago. When he first started, he weighed about 317 pounds. Johnson said his running partner Matt Soderquist, chapter captain of Team Red, White & Blue Gaylord, helped him lose the weight. Team RWB is a national organization that aims to enrich the lives of America's veterans.

Soderquist invited Johnson to his group’s Wednesday night runs, which were about three miles.

Johnson hadn’t run consistently for several years and was not on any exercise regimen. However, running with Soderquist, he quickly grew a passion for running with the group. He started running 100 yards non-stop. As he became increasingly stronger and the weight started coming off, Johnson completed 5K races and ran his first marathon in 2016.

It wasn’t just running that pushed Johnson to change his life. Johnson read several books during his weight loss journey, including "Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner" by Dean Karnazes, an ultra-running legend. The book shares stories about how Karnazes began running distances more than a marathon or 26.2 miles, known as “ultra-running,” and the adventures he encountered.

Karnazes made running long distances sound like an adventure, Johnson said. The book motivated him to run the Traverse City Bayshore Marathon last May with Soderquist. In a six-hour cutoff, Johnson and Soderquist finished the race in five hours and 45 minutes. They are currently training to run the race again next month.

“Mark trained for the marathon all winter. He even trained with some marine veterans,” Soderquist said. “When we finally got to finishing the race, Mark was finishing before me because he trained a lot harder than I did. Mark started to inspire me to lose weight, and I have lost a total of 50 pounds.”

Soderquist is the person who nominated Johnson for the award. Johnson said he did not know much about the program but he received an email one day from the Michigan Governor’s Fitness Awards program notifying him that he was a finalist.

“I was shocked,” Johnson said. “I had no idea I had been nominated and was even more surprised and honored to find out I was a finalist.

“There are some powerful stories and some amazing people I am going to be so privileged to meet. Win or not, this has been a great experience.”

At his lowest weight, Johnson was at about 195 pounds. He continues to stay nearly between that and 215. Overall, he has lost about 100 pounds over the year, and he continues to try to lose more.

Johnson’s goal is to take on more challenging exercises, whether it be running or going to the gym at least five days a week. He said that changing your life and losing weight is possible if you just put your mind to it and work hard.

“Make yourself get out there, start with something small, like cutting back on the amount of food you eat and starting a light workout regimen, like walking or riding a bike,” Johnson said. “Keep working from there and find exercises that work for you.

“When I first started running, it was a chore. I wasn't a fan. As I kept training I grew to love it and found it was an amazing stress reliever. Now I run out of a love for running, while the weight loss is an added bonus.”