MAN v FAT member Liam Saunders is ready to take on the streets of Oxford this weekend for this year’s Oxford Half Marathon.
Liam has been putting in the miles in preparation for the event on October 11th and is fit and raring to go after recently hitting his 30% weight loss landmark in our MAN v FAT Abingdon club.
34-year-old Liam has lost a fantastic 35kg since getting started and he told us a bit about his story so far as he prepares to raise funds for Thames Valley Ambulance.
What was it that made you join MAN v FAT in the first place?
I have a keen interest in football and I saw a poster in my doctors offering 14 free weeks of funding. I was massively overweight and needed to try something new to help with weight loss.
How have the other lads in the Abingdon club helped you in your weight loss efforts?
There is a group chat with the whole club and within your own team – people post healthy meal options along and encourage you to do the same. The MAN v FAT team also give you meal tips and targets and you get praised by all the members of the club for every weight loss goal you achieve!
You’ve now lost 30% of your body weight – how is this making a difference to your life and general wellbeing?
Some of my health concerns have gone – I don’t have sleep apnoea any more, my liver markers have gone down and I don’t get out of breath playing football with the kids. My resting heart rate has nearly halved, showing good fitness improvements.
How has training for the half marathon been going so far? And what are you expecting on the day?
I started running 11 weeks ago and I’m expecting a fairly respectable time of around 2hrs 15mins for the Oxford Half Marathon. I have raised over £250 for the Thames Valley Air Ambulance including a donation from MAN v FAT HQ (you can donate to Liam’s page here).
What are your ongoing fitness goals now that you’ve lost this weight?
I want to keep the weight I’ve lost off now, and my next biggest challenge will be climbing Ben Nevis.
Want to follow in Liam’s footsteps?
If you’re based in Oxfordshire and are ready to tackle your health goals, then we have funded spots available in our Abingdon and Oxford club, with our Banbury location relaunching at the start of 2026! Take a look at our Oxfordshire page for more details.
