Rowe said he’s still surprised his body has taken him at far as it has, considering he couldn’t run a full mile without stopping to walk four and a half years ago.
“I was getting overweight and out of shape but a friend wanted me to run a marathon so I thought why not,” Rowe said. “I had registered for the race in Jacksonville and once I had signed up for it, I had to do it. The first couple of months were terrible – I took a whole bottle of Ibuprofen that month – but I was just determined and soon the weight came off and I felt better and better.”
Rowe said he lost 60 pounds in the process and found the endorphins he gained from running almost “addictive.”
This addicted runner participates in 10-12 races per year including 65-mile and 50-mile ultra marathons last year and races in Jacksonville, Fla.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Chicago, California and Little Rock.
In 2011, he ran almost 2,000 miles. He said so far this year he’s already hit the road for about 1,200.