‘Fat Man’ Trains for LA Marathon

Friday, 18 March 2011 | by Pat's Picks

He calls himself the fat man. Weighing in at 405 pounds with a five-foot waist, it’s easy to see how that nickname stuck. But according to the LA Times, Kelly Gneiting isn’t embarrassed about his size—in fact, he contends that he is one of the best athletes in the world. To prove his theory, he’s training for the LA marathon. And he hopes that when he crosses the finish line on Saturday he’ll set a Guinness record as the heaviest person to do so.

Over a lunch consisting of a “mushroom cheeseburger with what appears to be half a pound of beef, thick-cut French fries, a fried chicken sandwich, and a second helping of thick cut fries,” Gneiting explains to Times reporter Kurt Streeter that he was a former Sumo champion before getting interesting in running, which was always childhood goal. He hopes by finishing the race, he’ll be able to dispel some of the negative connotations people associate with being heavy.

Here’s Kelly performing the splits, back in his sumo days:

And if you have some more time, this is a documentary of sorts, about Kelly: