Runner Drops 70 Pounds in Six Months

By Whitney Davis · The Mainstream
Published February 8, 2012

At 220 pounds, one UCC nursing major approached the starting line to a healthier life. Now, eight months and 65 pounds later, he’s still running strong.

Kingsley Hubbell, of Sutherlin, just wanted to lose weight and eat healthier. He started simply by including multivitamins in his diet and hitting the gym. Then, he got some advice that would change his life.

“I tried Zumba, dance and weight lifting, but one of the gym’s body builders told me I had to run to lose weight,” said Hubbell.

Around the time the bodybuilder suggested running, Hubbell also saw an episode of Oprah which recommended easing into an exercise program, not just diving into it full force. In response, Hubbell remembered the body builder and got up the initiative to run.

He started at 15 minutes, three days a week for about two weeks. “At first, I didn’t like running,” said Hubbell. “But I knew in my heart if I could work through the pain, I would have a chance at a healthier life physically and mentally.” 

And then he found his hidden passion.

After a few weeks, Hubbell asked Kit Wing Chan, his ex-girlfriend’s brother and a runner, for advice. Chan invited Hubbell to run with him. By now, Hubbell’s running had left him 10 to 15 pounds lighter.

“I [had] tried running with him before, but I was too out of shape,” said Hubbell.

The two ran together around town about four miles. Hubbell had set a personal goal to stay about three or four feet ahead of Chan in an effort to “beat him.” Much to his surprise, he was successful. The weight loss had increased his speed beyond what he had imagined.

The next day, though, was miserable.

 “I didn’t lean into that particular run, so my legs were so stiff the next day that I could barely walk.  It felt kind of good, actually,” said Hubbell. “I knew that I’d be stronger and I couldn’t wait to see how much stronger I was after I got healed up.”

Chan saw Hubbell’s perseverance and was almost proud. The two began running together regularly with and built a friendship, setting up times to run together about twice a week. They ran day or night about five miles.  Sometimes, they ran day and night in the same 24 hour period.

“At the height of my craziness, I did this three times; I ran four miles in the day and 10 miles at night,” said Hubbell.

Meanwhile, Hubbell signed up for classes at UCC. He applied for financial aid, not knowing that he was missing one form until it was too late. He had to pay for the tuition out of pocket, and this plus some summertime allergies caused him plenty of grief.

Then he noticed that his running helped to ease the sinus problems and made him feel better. He also didn’t stress as much about his financial situation.

“Running is a focus changer because your body asks for every nutrient. You don’t have time to be in your pity, especially when you push it,” said Hubbell.

More motivation came to him when he noticed an article about an upcoming running event in Sutherlin. Hubbell entered the event and placed third overall.

“That’s what excited me. Imagine if you metal in the first thing you do,” Hubbell explained.

The stress relief and the race began to increase his motivation. Hubbell was hungry for more wins.

Hubbell also ran into Charles Young, UCC history instructor and fellow runner, during his first race in fall term and has since ran four more races with him. 

Only three races into his career, Hubbell placed first at Springfield in the Lions Club walk/run for diabetes. Not bad for a guy who had only been running five months and competing near Eugene where running is religion. He also dropped over 30 pounds.

The feat is highly unusual.

“In over twenty years of mixing with many competitive, serious runners, I cannot recall ever meeting anyone who through such willpower lost that much weight in such a short time and went from zero to sixty so to speak in racing speed in only months,” said Young.

Hubbell now participates in 10k races and has lost a total of 65 pounds. He prefers long distance and has run a 5k only once. His goal started out being just wanting to be healthier and lose weight, but now he’s working towards running the Boston or New York marathon.

In his first half marathon, Hubbell placed at 15. It took him one hour, 40 minutes and 15 seconds to run the 13 mile race.

 “Clearly all along he had the legs, heart, lungs and overall form of a runner enclosed within the marble --  this running David wasn’t freed by Michelangelo but rather through the willpower of Kingsley himself!” said Young.