Andy Bell dropped 100 pounds and now is training to run Boston at 7:30 pace

About 5 1/2 years ago, Andy Bell was taking medication for his blood pressure, cholesterol and anxiety. He looked at the scale and saw it read 265 pounds. Bell's wife, suggested running in the SMT Turkey Trot — a Thanksgiving Day 5K. “To be honest, I thought that was really stupid," Bell said. "I didn’t know why anyone would want to run on Thanksgiving morning.” In the 5 1/2 years since that first 5K, Bell has run 100 Spartan Races. He lost 100 pounds, then put on 15 of pure muscle. He picks out one medal in particular, from the Steamtown Marathon in Scranton. The 2016 race was one of the first qualifying events for the 2018 Boston Marathon. The man who once couldn't run two minutes is now planning to run Boston at a 7:30 per mile pace or better.

posted Thursday February 22nd