Boilermaker: The Race That Changed a Life

"About five years ago I was a full blown type 2 diabetic, weighed 405 pounds and smoked two packs of cigarettes a day." Meet the new Carl Jones! Five years ago Carl was headed for a dreadful demise but at the age of 40 he was sick of being sick and decided he needed a change. Carl says, "Went back to my doctor and talked to him about doing gastric bypass and four years later I've lost 205 pounds, I know have run over a 1000 miles a year. It was like night and day because I went from not even being able to walk across the parking lot without being in pain, now I can run marathons."

            Before the marathons came the Boilermaker and carl says this year is unlike any he's ever run and it holds a special place in his now healthier heart. "Just a change of life, that's when it all started for me, and like I said the outpouring from the community. It's the best race I've seen. I've gone to big cities and run a marathon in Buffalo and it can't compare to the crowd support we have here in Utica."

            It's been said that success is often not a matter of talent, but a matter of tenacity. Carl's story is undoubtedly one of success. Jones added, "I just decided to do something different with my life and take control of it finally after forty years."