Woman who lost about 150 pounds completes New York City marathon
Over the last 15 years, Lee Anne Barnes has gone from being a self-described "couch potato" to a marathoner.
"If somebody would have come back to me 15 years ago and told me that I would be a marathon runner, I would think that they were talking to the wrong person, because I was a couch potato for sure," Barnes, 59, told "Good Morning America."
The Mississippi teacher said she's lost about 150 pounds since 2008, and on Sunday, she fulfilled a longtime dream, to run and finish the New York City Marathon.
"It was a dream come true. I've been wanting to do it for 12 years," Barnes said.
Barnes has come a long way over the past decade. At one point, she weighed nearly 300 pounds, and along the way, she also underwent a vertical sleeve gastrectomy, a type of surgery for weight loss.
"I did have a big setback around 2018, but I got myself together, and put my big girl panties on, and persevered and got with it again," she said.
Running has also been an essential part of the journey for Barnes, who said she has now run "many" half marathons and four full marathons.
"I can say that my life is definitely better, not only for getting mentally and physically healthy but also meeting incredible people along the journey," Barnes said of her experience with running.
Although it wasn't her first marathon, Barnes said the New York City marathon was still a challenging run. At mile 18, she said she started having "excruciating back spasms," but despite it all, she said she "would not exchange the experience for anything."
"I'd get a back spasm, [and] I'd start trying to walk -- but then when I started trying to run again, it just started up again. I thought, 'You know what, you're just here to have a good time, to finish and soak in the crowd.' So, I learned a lot about myself yesterday, that even though a task is difficult and challenging, if we just persevere through it, that the goal might not be exactly what you want, but you will persevere through it and reach the end goal."
In the end, Barnes completed the New York City Marathon in just under seven hours, with a final time of 6 hours, 58 minutes and 53 seconds.
Barnes credits many for her achievements so far -- everyone from those in her running community to her family and even the kindergartners, first graders and second graders she teaches at Thomas Street Elementary School in Tupelo, Mississippi.
"The crowds had a lot to do with it," she said, praising the New York crowd in attendance over the weekend. "I've run many half marathons. This was my fourth full marathon, and the crowd ... [was] unrivaled. They are just simply amazing."
"I'm also inspired daily by the people I have encountered as well," she added. "My students inspire me, and my family inspires me ... I'm feeling very accomplished this morning."
For anyone looking to get started on their own weight-loss journey or any major goal, Barnes recommends establishing a routine, beginning with small goals.
"First of all, believe in yourself [that] you can do it, and start with small measurable goals," she said. "My first goal was not to run a marathon. It was just to walk to my neighbor's mailbox, and then I moved that goal further to walk to the next mailbox, and then I knew I was walking a mile. So, small goals that are achievable and measurable, and it doesn't necessarily have to be running. Just get your body moving. Find something that you like to do, something that inspires and motivates you, [somewhere] there's a community in place that you can join [up with] like-minded people."
Today, Barnes said she runs about five days a week and does both strength and cross-training. She plans on running again soon, setting her sights on a half marathon in Arizona next February and running in all 50 states with her husband Os Barnes.
"Having that being a part of my routine is a real game changer for me, because I don't only do it for physical health, it's a good stress-reliever and mood-booster as well," she said. "It's just something I do, like brushing my teeth ... I found that [once] I establish a habit, it's ingrained in me, and it's just something I stick with."
Barnes and her husband also hope to run the New York City Marathon together next year.
"My husband is also a runner, and he was so inspired by what he saw yesterday that he wants to run New York next year," she said. "And I told him, 'You know what, if you find a way to get in, I am going to be right there with you.'"
