Quote: "Through diet and exercise, I'm down to 200 pounds, off all my medications — high blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol — and am ready to run the race that I grew up hearing about but never dreamed I'd run."
Age: 45
Residence: Liberty, Ky.
Number of Peachtrees: This will be my first.
Why do you run? This will be my first year healthy enough to run the Peachtree Road Race. I have weighed more than 300 pounds for over 20 years. ... This year will be the first year that I, along with my two younger brothers, who still live in Georgia, will all run together.
Why did you start running? I began running as a part of my cardio training during the 2010 Casey County — Kentucky — Biggest Loser program, which I won with a 23-percent weight loss in 12 weeks.
What will running in your first Peachtree mean to you? This event will have special meaning for me because my brothers have always been fit — one brother has even run in a prior Peachtree. But as of 15 months ago I was over 350 pounds and never dreamed I would get the chance to do something so significant and athletic with the people I love most.
What do you tell people about the race? It will be a personal-best-for-me run in this year's Peachtree Road Race. The oldest member of Team Shackelford can't wait to run! It'll be three against over 55,000.
What is your favorite race T-shirt? In this year's design contest, I like the one that has the red, white and blue peach set against the large 2011 design.
What do you like about the race? That it's not just a 10K. To me the Peachtree Road Race is going to be a six-mile patriotic party for athletes.
What other races have you participated in? Since losing 150 pounds, I've run in five races this year. The last was the 2011 Lexington [Kentucky] Half Marathon. I ran that in 1 hour, 57 minutes.
