From Mr Sleek to World Marathon Major chaser!

Dann Sullivan wasn’t always the running fanatic that he is today. His running journey started after an annual check-up with his GP when Dann decided to turn his life around and began to adopt a healthier lifestyle. He went from struggling to run around a football pitch to dropping 5st 2lbs and running marathons!

We spoke to Dann to find out more about his running journey:

What motivated you to start running?

My local Doctor’s shut so I moved GPs and I went for an annual assessment. He immediately told me that I was overweight. He said that I should start thinking about losing some weight for my daughter’s sake. So, I started Slimming World, and the results were staggering, I lost 5 stone! At the time I played football, but I wanted to get fitter, so I started “Couch to 5k”. When I reached 5k I wanted to challenge myself to do something even bigger and I applied for a marathon place with Slimming World but was sadly turned down. Therefore, I decided to book an entry at the Manchester Marathon by myself. I’d never done a race in my life! I went straight from running on my own, to doing 5k, to training for a marathon and it was a hell of shock.

Why is running so important to you?

My wife Jade can tell when I haven’t been for a run in the week, as I’m a bit more craggy than usual. Just going outside and having some « me time » is extremely important as it allows me to clear my head and keeps the weight off too!

Does running bring you any other benefits?

If I hadn’t lost weight, I would have never been able to run like I do. Losing weight gave me the courage to challenge myself and motivated me to keep running, as the heavier you are, the harder it is. Running has given me the courage to challenge myself and to prove to people that I could run a marathon! I’m also a much fitter, healthier and generally happier person!

What’s the end goal?

My main goal is to complete all six Abbott World Marathon Majors after breaking the four-hour barrier at the Manchester and Chicago Marathons in 2022. I want to continue to inspire my family too. My nine-year-old daughter has caught the running bug and enjoys joining me at the start of my runs. It’s really important for me to promote a healthy lifestyle and she really enjoys being part of it too.

I also enjoy being part of a community as I can meet new people and have something in common to talk about. I would advise people to forget about the stigma and join the group- whether it’s a Slimming World club or a running group, just take the risk because what’s the worst thing that could happen?

Dann Sullivan wasn’t always the running fanatic that he is today. His running journey started after an annual check-up with his GP when Dann decided to turn his life around and began to adopt a healthier lifestyle. He went from struggling to run around a football pitch to dropping 5st 2lbs and running marathons!

We spoke to Dann to find out more about his running journey:

What motivated you to start running?

My local Doctor’s shut so I moved GPs and I went for an annual assessment. He immediately told me that I was overweight. He said that I should start thinking about losing some weight for my daughter’s sake. So, I started Slimming World, and the results were staggering, I lost 5 stone! At the time I played football, but I wanted to get fitter, so I started “Couch to 5k”. When I reached 5k I wanted to challenge myself to do something even bigger and I applied for a marathon place with Slimming World but was sadly turned down. Therefore, I decided to book an entry at the Manchester Marathon by myself. I’d never done a race in my life! I went straight from running on my own, to doing 5k, to training for a marathon and it was a hell of shock.

Why is running so important to you?

My wife Jade can tell when I haven’t been for a run in the week, as I’m a bit more craggy than usual. Just going outside and having some « me time » is extremely important as it allows me to clear my head and keeps the weight off too!

Does running bring you any other benefits?

If I hadn’t lost weight, I would have never been able to run like I do. Losing weight gave me the courage to challenge myself and motivated me to keep running, as the heavier you are, the harder it is. Running has given me the courage to challenge myself and to prove to people that I could run a marathon! I’m also a much fitter, healthier and generally happier person!

What’s the end goal?

My main goal is to complete all six Abbott World Marathon Majors after breaking the four-hour barrier at the Manchester and Chicago Marathons in 2022. I want to continue to inspire my family too. My nine-year-old daughter has caught the running bug and enjoys joining me at the start of my runs. It’s really important for me to promote a healthy lifestyle and she really enjoys being part of it too.

I also enjoy being part of a community as I can meet new people and have something in common to talk about. I would advise people to forget about the stigma and join the group- whether it’s a Slimming World club or a running group, just take the risk because what’s the worst thing that could happen?