One of my favorite things about Long Beach Boot Camp is watching so many inspiring fitness stories unfold.
I can’t help but be motivated to push myself and to grow, when I see the amazing things my fellow boot campers are achieving in their lives.
I’m so excited to share one of those stories with you today.
Meet Kerrin.
Kerrin is 63 years old, has been running for 2 years, and he just qualified for the Boston Marathon!

If you are a runner, you know what an incredible achievement this is.
But if you aren’t a part of the running world, the immensity of this achievement might be lost on you.
Allow me to share a few Boston Marathon facts with you.
The Boston Marathon was first run in 1897 and it is the world’s oldest annual marathon.
It is truly an historic race.
For many, it’s the pinnacle of marathons.
Therefore, many marathoners dream of running Boston one day.
The love for the Boston Marathon has always been strong, but after the bombing at the race in 2013, the love and support for the race itself, and all the runners who run it, grew even more.
2014 was one of the biggest races ever.
Beyond all of its historic significance, there is something else that sets Boston apart from many other races.
You can’t just sign up.
You have to earn your right to run the race.
To run the Boston Marathon, you have to run another race before hand, and you have to run it fast.
Because there are qualifying times to get you into the Boston Marathon.
Kerrin had to run the race in 3 hours and 55 minutes or less.
That is 26.1 miles in less than 4 hours.
Think about that.
It’s pretty impressive, isn’t it?

I asked Kerrin a few questions about his journey as a runner to get to this point.

LF: When did you start running?
KP: May 2012 although I had run a half marathon in about 1985 prior to that.

LF: Why did you start running?
KP: To support Glen who did some running in the UK and then wanted to do a 5k
(Glen is Kerrin’s wife, and I love that Kerrin began his running journey in support of Glen’s desire to run.  Glen is an accomplished runner herself. Clearly, they spur each other on.)

LF: Did you enjoy it right away or did it grow on you ?
KP: Yes sort of but it was hard….we were already quite fit.
(Kerrin and Glen had been training with beloved Long Beach Boot Camp instructor, Timmie Cordova, for a while before they began running.  When Kerrin says they were “quite fit” that is a bit of an understatement.  They were both incredibly fit. I think its important to note that even being incredibly fit, running was still hard. Running was still a challenge.  A challenge that Kerrin has stuck with.)

LF: What was your first race ?
KP: Ladera ranch freedom run July 4th 10k.

LF: What made you decide to run a full marathon?
KP: Timmie’s persuasive powers, and I am always up for challenge.

LF: What made you decide to try for Boston?
KP: The bombing and difficulty level.

 LF: What is the hardest thing about running for you?
KP: Getting faster…it never ends or gets easier because you always are pushing the envelope.

LF: What do you love about running ?
KP: Fitness levels, competition camaraderie, and of course ability to eat lots!  There are times when you are running when there is no pain, there is this feeling of a well oiled machine being able to run comfortably in the zone is something else. Also when you are done you always feel great physically. When I started I wanted to beat everybody…I’m competitive!  You fairly quickly get to see there are always a load of runners much faster than you. So you come to terms with it being all about targets you set yourself and how you perform against that. I love the fact it is very easy to measure improvement and set targets so you always know where you are.

LF: How did you train for the qualifying race?
KP: Timmie gave me a plan and beat me if I did not follow it.

LF: What do you credit your success to besides your personal awesomeness?
KP: Training, diet, natural aptitude and competitive nature – although there are so many out there so much faster than me.
Also competing with Glen and not letting her beat me!  Wanting to beat Timmie. Wanting to get a placing – all these things help make me faster and stronger and more successful!! The last thing is that it is a family thing with both myself and Glen pushing it together. We plan on running Boston together.

I always say that having a team to work out with is the best way to stick with fitness.
Clearly Kerrin and Glen are a team.
They push each other and encourage each other.
And they earn lots of medals together!


Kerrin gave me these stats on his journey as a runner.
Besides being incredibly impressive, I also find them to be inspiring.
2 years ago, Kerrin wasn’t a runner.
But look at him now!
“I have done about 35 to 40 races since I started, including 4 half marathons and and 2 full marathons. I have run about 2,000 miles, done 300 runs, burned 200,000 calories, and  lost about 20 lbs in weight.”
Well done Kerrin!
Your fellow Boot Campers are so proud of you.

If you’re thinking you’d love to get to where Kerrin is, but can’t imagine you ever could, remember he started with a 10K.
You just need to start where you are.
And then,  just keep going.
As always, keep on Living Fit!
Greta