03-04-2025
Running helps Morristown man shed 150 pounds as he aims to finish second marathon
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — When the gun sounds on April 6, thousands of marathon goers will begin their quest to complete the 26.2-mile course that makes up the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon. For the men and women competing, each one brings with them a story of how they got to this point. This includes Morristown runner Wil Nelson.
The 48-year-old will be competing in his second consecutive Knoxville Marathon. A huge accomplishment, considering just five years ago, he could barely run a mile.
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'I was 325 pounds at my biggest,' Nelson told 6 News. 'I was having breathing problems. I had sleep apnea at that point. And I knew that my life would be shortened if I didn't do something.'
That's when Nelson says he knew he had to change his mindset. Part of that change, according to his trainer, was getting off the couch and running. A task that at first was easier said than done.
'You know, when I got to a 45-minute mile, I thought I had really arrived. I had really done something. And then a 30-minute mile I was on cloud nine,' says Nelson.
But that was in 2020. Now, five years later, Nelson is running and competing in everything. From 5K's, half and full marathons, trail races and Ultra competitions, there appears to be nothing this now 168-pound sportsman can't conquer.
'You hit a mental block, a mental wall, and you have to find your own way to get past that and push past that to achieve what you want to achieve and go as far as you want to go,' said Nelson. 'It's a discipline. You really have to be self-disciplined to be a runner or to maintain anything. It takes discipline.'
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It's that discipline that has led Nelson to take part in his second Knoxville marathon this year. An event he admits he wasn't quite ready for a year ago.
'I really didn't prepare a whole lot for it,' Nelson confesses. 'I got to mile 20, which was right around Summit Hill, and I thought I may have made a mistake. I wanted to completely stop at that point.'
To his credit, he didn't stop. He completed his first road marathon in a time of just over four hours and 33 minutes.
'It was about the experience last year. This year, we'll take it a little more seriously. I'm still going to have fun and enjoy it, but I have a personal goal in mind going into it, and so as long as I achieve that goal, I will feel accomplished.'
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A big statement coming from a man who has already accomplished a lot in a relatively short amount of time.
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