It wasn't too long ago that Darryn Dunbar was a lot closer to his deathbed than finishing a 26.2-mile marathon.
In early 2003, Dunbar weighed 474 pounds. He was diabetic; had high cholesterol and high blood pressure; and suffered from sleep apnea.
His doctor said that he might not live to 40.
'I spent many years not admitting/denying who I really was, and that was one of the reasons why I got morbidly obese,' said Dunbar, now 39. 'I was internally very miserable, and that was my life management strategy —I'd keep myself so busy that I didn't have time to exercise and just ate a bunch of junk.'
In late 2003, Dunbar revealed he was gay to his wife, Denise. Luckily for him, she was, and continues to be, 'incredibly supportive,' he said. 'We've never had a lot of drama around [ my coming out ] .'
The two separated this summer, but still co-parent their children: Molly, 9, and Lilly, 4.
'We're the best of friends,' Dunbar said of Denise. 'I've had a fortunate coming-out process.'
During the summer of 2003, Dunbar had gastric-bypass surgery, helping him lose 155 pounds. And through proper training and healthy eating, he has lost another 45 pounds.
Already, Dunbar has completed two marathons: the Chicago Marathon last October and the Honolulu Marathon last December. He'll be back on the 26.2-mile course Oct. 7 in the Chicago Marathon.
'Running has become part of my fitness plan,' said Dunbar, who lives in Uptown, teaches at Loyola University and also works as a nurse midwife.
The 5Ə' Dunbar now weighs about 270 pounds.
'I had a trainer who was into short-distance running and he got me doing 5K [ races ] in 2004; my first was that September and I have since done 30,' said Dunbar, who also has run 8K, 10K and half-marathons. 'In 2005, I watched [ my trainer ] run in the Chicago Marathon and just decided that I was going to do that someday.'
In February, 2006, he attended an informational meeting for the National AIDS Marathon Training Program ( NAMTP ) , 'and just thought there was no reason I couldn't do it.'
In fact, he was 'more intimidated' about raising $1,400 for the NAMTP than running 26.2 miles.
But the fund-raising also wasn't a problem for Dunbar. He collected about $9,000 and was the second-highest fund-raiser for the NAMTP.
Dunbar finished last year's Chicago Marathon in 6:45. He was on the Honolulu course for more than seven hours, enduring Hawaii's heat, humidity and hills.
'As I kept reaching milestones with my weight loss, I just kept thinking that there was nothing else I couldn't do, so why not try a marathon,' he said. 'For me, the marathon is not about [ a finishing ] time; the time is only a number. The fact that you start, you do it and you finish is what it's all about. We all get the same medal and [ finishing ] T-shirt. That's been my mantra.'
Dunbar's determination has landed him on a segment that will air during the Chicago Marathon broadcast, courtesy of Energizer's Keep Going campaign.
'I'm not at home on the couch watching people do it; I'd rather be out there doing it myself,' he said. 'It's definitely been an interesting journey.'
To find out more about the history regarding the Oct. 7 marathon, read The Chicago Marathon ( University of Illinois Press, $19.95 ) , written by openly gay Andrew Suozzo. Also see www.chicagomarathon.com .
