I went from 5k to marathons

Darren Goult, 44, of Dunstable, Bedfordshire, has lost almost five stone, dropping from 15st 10lb to 10st 12lb. He is a catering manager and married to Melanie. they have two sons, aged 22 and 15, and a daughter, 17. THE turning point for me came two years ago when I was pulling out my summer clothes for a special holiday to the Dominican Republic. Everything was a size XXXL or a 38in waist, but they still felt tight.

My problem is my job. I’ve always worked in hospitality — running pubs and hotels, so I can pick at food all day.

My wife, sister and mother had all joined Weight Watchers (as WW was then called) and were losing weight, so I figured it might work for me, too.

The weight loss was so rapid I’d lost two stone before our holiday. It felt fantastic to be back in size M/L shorts.

I got into the habit of going to the hotel gym each morning to use the running machine — and I loved it.

When we got back I joined a gym and my trainer suggested entering a 5k. Even though I’d only been running for two months, I finished the race in 22 minutes. I was officially hooked.

I entered a 10k race the week after and did that in 8 minutes (an hour is considered a good time for newby), so the next challenge was a half marathon (I did six), then marathons.

I never thought I’d be able to run a mile, let alone 26 miles, but I’ve set a target of running the six major world marathons before I reach the age of 50.

I still go along to my Monday WW weigh once a month, just to keep myself on track.

When I started out, I was 15st 10lb (I’m 5ft 10in tall) and I said I wanted to get down to 12st, but I’ve exceeded all my expectations. These days my weight varies between 10st 12lb and 11st 2lb.

My message to all the men out there is don’t assume WW is a girl thing. You won’t feel out of place at a meeting. I never did.