FORT WAYNE Ind. (WANE) – Two and a half years ago Kendallville resident Kristian Jarrett was 335 pounds and had just welcomed his second daughter into the world. He missed being competitive and being a college athlete. “I realized it was time to make a change. I was miserable in life, I didn’t feel like I was a good dad, a good husband. I didn’t feel like I was much good at anything,” explains Jarrett.

He started tracking what he ate, walking, and strength training. Then he saw an ad for Fort4Fitness and wanted to challenge himself. With help from his wife Samantha, who is a runner, they set up a plan to help him reach his goal, to run the 4-mile race without stopping.

“I started off and I ran 100 yards, and that was all I could do, that was all I could muster up,” says Jarrett, “Then I walked a little way and I got back to my car and was like, ‘that was terrible’, and decided that I was going to do it again the next day. From the beginning of August 2017 to the middle of September 2017, I went from not being able to run 100 yards to being able to run 4 miles. Running the Fort 4 Fitness 4 miler changed my life, from that point I was hooked.”

The following spring in 2018 he ran the Indy Mini Half-Marathon and has also run in the Veteran’s Day Marathon, the Huff 50k race and this spring he ran in the Glass City Marathon, along with a few other races. He is now down 150 pounds from when he first started his journey.

“Running is so many things, It’s therapy for yourself, it’s a place to think, it’s a place just to get out and enjoy, it’s a place to invest in yourself, and learn more about yourself. It’s also a place to meet new friends. the places I’ve been and the people I’ve met since I started running. It’s just amazing the people you meet.” he explains.

Fort4Fitness is where Kristian really got the running bug, and he loves the way they promote a healthy lifestyle. He wants to bring his journey full circle at this year’s fall festival by running in the Fort 4 Fitness Marathon.

He encourages those not participating in the event this year to come out to cheer on those that are running, it means more than you think. As for those that think they can’t do it, Jarrett as some advice “I’ve always had 2 big pieces of advice, you can do more than you think you can, and the second, is that the best thing you can do for the people in your life that you love, is to invest in your health and to invest in yourself.”

You can sign up for the 2019 Fort4Fitness Fall Festival by clicking here.