Hi my name is Mark and this is my story, 

Throughout my life I've battled with my weight, trying different diets and routines, some successful, others not so much, back in November 2020 (3 days after getting married) I had a heart attack, that was simply the most terrifying experience anyone could have, lying in a hospital bed listening to a specialist in a white jacket saying “you're lucky to be here” and “this is a wake up call” luckily I had given up smoking a year previously which the doc also mentioned would have made it worse if I hadn't,

 Anyways that triggered me to sort myself out and start looking after myself which went really well for the first 6 months gave up drinking alcohol and nailed the exercise and the diet …… 

Then life went completely sideways….. 

My wife and I were at home one day just chilling and she turned to me and said “can you just check this? it doesn't feel right” she had a small lump on one of her breasts….. With that we went to get her checked, a week or so later it was our worst nightmare, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, Suddenly our world was one you wouldn't wish on anybody, she began treatment and 4 yrs later we are still dealing with the situation, 

With such a situation to live through as you can imagine was/is very stressful, and with giving up smoking and not drinking I found food was my escape, I ended up getting bigger than I ever had been weighing in at 172kg/27.5stone (ish) 

I went for weight loss surgery in August 2024 and so far I've dropped 52kg, I always wanted to be a runner and with the support of my wife, friends and family I started my journey in Jan 2025 taking part in PARKRUN and progressing to road running during the week, My brother who has been there every step of the way has helped me so much to gain the confidence and inspire me to push on even when it feels I cant do any more, 

ABC jersey have been absolutely fantastic to us and generous beyond words during my wife's cancer journey, so I now feel its time to give back, This will be a huge challenge for me and will push me to a new level,