Marathon man hopes to be a Glass act
MICHAEL Glass is a rare breed of footballer who prefers to be on the losing side – and will tackle the Birmingham International Marathon when it arrives in the city in October.
Michael, 28, is part of the Man v Fat scheme that aims to help men lose weight through a six-a-side football league – where your weight loss contributes to your results on the pitch.
The initiative, endorsed by the Football Association, began in Solihull and now has a number of leagues run- ning in the nationwide.
Michael, who lives in Birmingham, has shed two and a half stone since he became involved in the scheme last September, and has signed up for the marathon which takes place on October 15.
He is more used to chasing a ball than chasing personal bests, but Michael is relishing the challenge of joining 8,000 other runners on the 26.2mile run through the Second City.
Explaining his reasons for signing up, the office super- Midlands and visor said: “I was talking to a friend who’d already signed up, and her enthusiasm helped me slightly lose my mind and sign up too. I’ve never done a marathon before and didn’t realise how hard it would definitely be.
“I’ve never run recreationally. I love when I’ve got a ball to chase but not when I just have miles of road staring me down. Having said that, if you do have to run, you can do worse than do so along the canals. Having been losing weight and getting fitter over the past few months, I thought it would be an interesting challenge.
“I’m increasingly convinced that it’s a huge mistake but I’m still excited.
“I have barely trained, which is part of the huge mistake, but I play football three or four times a week and my fitness continues to improve through that.”
The marathon has sold out but you can still be part of the Simplyhealth Great Birmingham Run, the half marathon taking place on the same day. For more details, visit greatrun.org/birmingham