“The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.” ~ John Bingham

     A few posts back, I mentioned John Bingham’s 100 Day Challenge, which I’ve morphed into the 30 Minute Club, but I barely mentioned who John Bingham was. 

     At 43 years old, he was a 240 pound, middle-aged couch potato who smoke and drank and lived a very unhealthy lifestyle.  After years of resolving to give up his bad habits he decided to start running. On his first attempt he lasted about 30 seconds, not even making it out of his driveway. 

     Most would have quit — John didn’t.   Where once he would have gone back to the couch, he persisted.  He set goals of running longer distances mixing walking and running.  Over time he completed a mile, then two, then three.  His persistence was rewarded as he started losing weight, eventually losing 100 pounds.

     He soon started racing running 5K and then 10K races, often among the last to finish. Undeterred he kept setting goals for himself, a half marathon, then a marathon.  Now two decades later,  he has finished over 40 marathons and hundreds of other races.  He has been the pace leader for more than a few marathons, he continues to run — slowly.

     Known as the Penguin, he’s changed the perception of what a runner is, how fast they should run, and what they should look like.  His first book, The Courage to Start, should be required reading for anyone who wants to know “How do I start running?”  While many serious runners dismiss John’s philosophies, he has given thousands, “the Courage to Start” and complete the first marathon or half marathon. 

     John has written several books, writes regularly for Runner’s World and is one of the more popular speakers at any Marathon Expo he attends.  His blend of humor and storytelling made it easy for many to lace them up and go.  If you want to know more about The Penguin, you could go to his website http://www.johnbingham.com/index.php or sign up for regular updates on http://www.teampenguin.com/