A FEW YEARS AGO, Chris Quick was making unhealthy choices left, right and centre. A habitual drinker and smoker, Quick struggled to stay active with his busy work schedule and reached his heaviest weight of 105kg.
Eventually, Quick realised that this lifestyle couldn’t go on. He wanted to be a better role model for his children, someone they could look up to. And so, he got into running.
At his first Parkrun, Quick finished in a time of 38:40. He has now completed the event more than 300 times and improved his 5K personal best to 17:30. His next big challenge? The Real Insurance Harbour 10, a 10K run on a purpose-built course around Sydney harbour.
Here, Quick takes us through his journey to better health in his own words.
Chris Quick’s journey to 25kg in weight loss
“Growing up, I was the overweight kid at school and was always bullied. In my mid 20s I was hitting the gym, but from my late 20s to about age 35 I was back over 100kg and found myself smoking and drinking too much.
I wasn’t active when I was younger. Work meant I was always sitting down and also travelling interstate, which meant unhealthy choices. I was consuming a lot of alcohol and was smoking a bit. The people I was around at that time didn’t help.
Something needed to change. I found running and have never looked back.
In June 2017 I did my first Parkrun and fell in love with the community spirit there. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly. While I only did a handful of Parkruns that year, I am now over 300 official runs and one of the run directors at our local Mt Penang Parkrun. My first parkrun time was 38:40 and now I’m down to 17:30. I also ran my first half marathon in May 2018. It’s an addictive habit, and much better than smoking and drinking.
By early 2019 my weight was where I wanted it to be and have held it since. I’ve lost over 25kg in total.
My two wonderful daughters were what inspired me to lose weight. I wanted to be the best dad I could be and a role model. I didn’t want them to see me hungover on a weekend. Both my daughters (ages 11 and 13) are now keen runners and have been doing Parkrun since they were able to register.
I don’t have a strict process for my diet, but brekkie is usually muesli or cereal with coconut yoghurt and fruit. Lunch varies between a wrap or leftovers. For dinner, I can’t go past chicken risotto or a spag bowl or steak and salad. My pre-race dinner is usually the risotto.
I had a crack at the Harbour 10 in 2019 and ran 41:30. I did it in 2023 and ran 36:22. It’s a fast course with amazing scenery and I wish I’ve done more of them. I was away last year and sad not to race, so this year it’s time to have another crack and send it! And it’s in the best city in the world! It just makes sense!”
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