He may not be a vision, but in his pink spandex, Codling is a sight to behold.
The look gets him noticed. When he runs, a lot of heads turn. And then when people find out what he's doing, there's a lot of encouragement.
John knows it's good for him. In May, he weighed 325 pounds. The idea to drop the weight came from a dear friend, Paul Nichols, who told him, in unprintable terms, that he was too fat. The comment from Nichols, a cancer patient, led to the creation of (and the name) of John's mission.
That night, John started JohnCodlingIsTooFat.com. His goals were threefold. He wanted to lose 100 pounds, raise $1 million and run the New York City Marathon.
The money will go to Team Continuum, the foundation started by Nichols, which provides non-medical care for cancer patients. Much of Team Continuum's money is raised through marathons - $5.5 million since 2002. John started running on May 31. Paul died four days later.
"I do think about him when I do this," John said.
And on the day John ran the New York City Half Marathon, his father was diagnosed with cancer. Now, John is even more inspired.
"I've gotten to the point where if I'm not running, I feel lethargic," he said.
Videos on YouTube help rally support. And John plans to sell his collection of Christopher Walken paintings, all of which he painted
Anything for the cause, for his health, for his father and for the memory of his friend.
"He would have loved this," John said.
So far, Codling has lost 75 pounds and raised $357,000 in pledges. The New York City Marathon is November 1.
For more on Team Continuum, visit TeamContinuum.net.
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WEB PRODUCED BY: Bill King
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