As an overweight 50-year-old man, when I decided to take up running late last year, I had to take steps to prepare. I bought a new set of well-cushioned trainers. I saw my doctor, vaguely hoping that she would warn me off my folly. (Alas, she was enthusiastic and supportive.) And, critically, I joined an online community, the Slow AF Run Club.
Slow AF is the brainchild of Martinus Evans, a marathon runner who began the sport out of spite. A doctor told Martinus that he had to reduce his bodyweight—then 163kg—or he would die. When Martinus said that he planned to take up running, his doctor laughed and told him that he would die if he tried. Martinus ignored the dismissive advice and completed a marathon about a year and a half later.