Mitchell, a Kansas City native, was diagnosed with a noncancerous tumor on his pituitary gland five years ago, a condition that slows down his metabolism and is the primary cause for his obesity. Although he was put on medication to shrink the tumor, Mitchell felt that “at one point, I was using that condition as a crutch, telling myself, ‘I’ll wait for the pills to start working before I start working out or change my eating habits.’”
But he realised that wasn’t a very good plan in November 2014, when his body weight reached an all-time high of 625 pounds. “That’s when I knew I needed to make a change, and decided to start with a new year’s resolution.” So in the beginning of 2015, he cut soda from his diet, switched to more nutritious food options, and tried switching to a healthier lifestyle.
Owing to his weight at the time, Mitchell’s initial exercise routine was pretty much walking as far as his body would allow him to. “There was a streetlight I found and (walking) there and back was three-fourths of a mile, so I just walked down to it and back,” he explained, speaking to KMBC TV. “I was up to a mile a day, then a mile-and-a-half a day.”
Recognising his determination to get fit, it was Mitchell’s sister who encouraged him to try signing up for races. “My sister said it was great that I was eating better, but that I needed to add physical exercise,” he said. “We came up with the idea of a 5K a month as a way to keep me exercising to get ready for them.” But Mitchell was so conspicuous at his very first 5K event in March that pretty soon he became a celebrity of sorts, getting invited to 5Ks all over the US.
