Boston Marathon Ready After Losing 120 Pounds

Russ Becker decided he needed to make a change during his sophomore of high school.

Tipping the scales at more than 300 pounds, Becker said in a press release that he knew he had to change the way he lived.

“A conscious decision [during] my sophomore year in high school started me on a path of healthier eating, exercise and thinking about my future," Becker said in a press release. "Something just clicked and I started to run.”

Five years have passed since that decision and now 120 pounds lighter, Becker, a student at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, said he is "as ready as I'm gonna be" to run in Monday's marathon.

Becker will be participating as a charity runner raising money for The Angel Fund, a charity that benefits ALS research at the Cecil B. Day Laboratory for Neuromuscular Research at UMass Medical Center under the direction of Dr. Robert H. Brown Jr.

Becker's uncle, Rich Kennedy, is the president of The Angel Fund and a longtime runner.

Two years ago, Becker said he entertained the idea of running the marathon, but his uncle convinced him he wasn't quite ready. When the time came to think about the 2012 marathon, Becker said his uncle agreed to get him a number to run with The Angel Fund, but also made him a bet that if he dropped out, Becker himself would contribute the $5,000 charity donation.

Preparing for the marathon hasn't been an easy task. In fact, Becker called training for the Boston Marathon, "excruciating," and said it has been even more difficult than dropping all that weight.

“The same drive, the same ideals that I had when I started losing weight apply to this process,” Becker said. "The wear and tear on my body has been the biggest difference. With this, it’s really been day after day, pounding out 15 or 20-mile runs.”

More compelling than the drive to finish the race, is the drive to support The Angel Fund, Becker said.

He is running to honor the memory of his grandfather, Christopher Kennedy, and his uncle, Jimmy Kennedy, both of whom died from ALS at the ages of 66 and 31, respectively.

"After seeing these horrific tragedies first hand, my uncle became involved with The Angel Fund,” Becker said in a press release. “Now I feel it is my turn to get involved to find a cure for this progressive motor neuron disease.”

Becker said he views the marathon as the culminating event of his weight loss along with an opportunity to honor family.

His goal is to complete the marathon in less than five hours and without stopping.

“It’s attainable, but not so easy that I won’t have to push myself,” Becker said.