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Chris Koehn was always the chubby kid in elementary school. When he got to college, he did way more than the Freshman 15. Life got busy after he graduated. He started a family.
By spring 2019, Koehn weighed 341 pounds.
“I had all sorts of health issues,” Koehn said, “and I knew that I had to get this under control and start losing weight.”
Six years later and 160 pounds lighter, the Chickasha native is set to run in the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. He’s completed over 20 half-marathons since dropping weight, but never a full 26.2 miles. Sunday will mark the 25th anniversary of the OKC marathon and a milestone moment for Koehn.
“If I can run,” he tells people, “anybody can run.”
Koehn wasn’t a runner growing up. Athletics weren’t his thing. He was the band kid and academic bowl nerd. In high school, he tried out for tennis but didn’t make the team.
“It kind of crushed me,” said Koehn, laughing about it now. “I just wanted to be part of a team.”
More: How an OKC runner is pushing his limits, inspiring others: 'Redefine what is possible'
Koehn, 47, now has that with Red Coyote — a local shop that not only sells running shoes but also offers training programs for runners of all levels.
In February 2021, Koehn took his oldest son, who ran track and cross country at Putnam City North High School, to Red Coyote to get a new pair of shoes.
A flier advertising a 5K training program for newbies caught Koehn’s eye.
Koehn by this point was in the best shape of his life. He had seen a weight-loss doctor and had followed a strict diet.
Running, suddenly, didn’t seem so daunting. He signed up for a Red Coyote program.
“And I literally have run every week since,” Koehn said. “I just caught the bug.”
In the summer of 2021, he ran his first 5K. A 5K led to a 10K. A 10K to a half marathon. He ran two half marathons in April 2022, including one in the OKC Memorial Marathon.
Koehn still runs with Red Coyote, but these days as a volunteer coach.
“The people that we run with, it’s a social thing for us,” Koehn said. “We care about each other. We support each other … some of my best friends that I have locally I met through Red Coyote.”
Koehn credits Red Coyote for helping change his life.
“It’s not just a running apparel store,” he said. “It’s a lot more than that.”
More: Why a Stillwater runner's kindness, compassion at NYC Marathon is a story worth telling
In January, Koehn and a few of his buddies decided to go all-in. For the 25th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon and the 30th anniversary of the bombing, Koehn and his friends committed to run the full marathon for the first time.
Runners training for a marathon rarely run the full distance until race day, but Koehn has been running four days a week since January. Every Sunday morning, his group goes for a long run. A minimum of 14 miles. Koehn has made three 20-mile runs throughout his training.
“You run so much over the course of the week that your body is really prepared,” Koehn said.
Mentally, though, “since I haven’t officially run 26.2 miles yet, I’m a little nervous,” Koehn added. “That’s an extra 10K on race day on top of the longest run that I’ve run so far.”
Koehn recites a quote attributed to legendary Packers coach Vince Lombardi.
Your body can stand almost anything. It’s your mind you have to convince.
Remembering that keeps Koehn going.
“It’s not our joints, it’s not our legs that are gonna give out on us most of the time,” he said. “We have to mentally believe we can do it.”
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at [email protected]. Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
More: The children of the Oklahoma City bombing remain symbols of the city's growth
A highlighted look at the April 25-27 weekend schedule:
SATURDAY, APRIL 26: Memorial 5K (7 a.m.), Senior marathon (8 a.m.), Kids marathon (9 a.m.)
SUNDAY, APRIL 27: Marathon, Half Marathon and Quarter Marathon races start at 6:30 a.m.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Memorial Marathon: How Chris Koehn prepared for 26.2-mile race
Continue reading...
By spring 2019, Koehn weighed 341 pounds.
“I had all sorts of health issues,” Koehn said, “and I knew that I had to get this under control and start losing weight.”
Six years later and 160 pounds lighter, the Chickasha native is set to run in the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. He’s completed over 20 half-marathons since dropping weight, but never a full 26.2 miles. Sunday will mark the 25th anniversary of the OKC marathon and a milestone moment for Koehn.
“If I can run,” he tells people, “anybody can run.”
Koehn wasn’t a runner growing up. Athletics weren’t his thing. He was the band kid and academic bowl nerd. In high school, he tried out for tennis but didn’t make the team.
“It kind of crushed me,” said Koehn, laughing about it now. “I just wanted to be part of a team.”
More: How an OKC runner is pushing his limits, inspiring others: 'Redefine what is possible'
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Koehn, 47, now has that with Red Coyote — a local shop that not only sells running shoes but also offers training programs for runners of all levels.
In February 2021, Koehn took his oldest son, who ran track and cross country at Putnam City North High School, to Red Coyote to get a new pair of shoes.
A flier advertising a 5K training program for newbies caught Koehn’s eye.
Koehn by this point was in the best shape of his life. He had seen a weight-loss doctor and had followed a strict diet.
Running, suddenly, didn’t seem so daunting. He signed up for a Red Coyote program.
“And I literally have run every week since,” Koehn said. “I just caught the bug.”
In the summer of 2021, he ran his first 5K. A 5K led to a 10K. A 10K to a half marathon. He ran two half marathons in April 2022, including one in the OKC Memorial Marathon.
Koehn still runs with Red Coyote, but these days as a volunteer coach.
“The people that we run with, it’s a social thing for us,” Koehn said. “We care about each other. We support each other … some of my best friends that I have locally I met through Red Coyote.”
Koehn credits Red Coyote for helping change his life.
“It’s not just a running apparel store,” he said. “It’s a lot more than that.”
More: Why a Stillwater runner's kindness, compassion at NYC Marathon is a story worth telling
You must be registered for see images attach
In January, Koehn and a few of his buddies decided to go all-in. For the 25th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon and the 30th anniversary of the bombing, Koehn and his friends committed to run the full marathon for the first time.
Runners training for a marathon rarely run the full distance until race day, but Koehn has been running four days a week since January. Every Sunday morning, his group goes for a long run. A minimum of 14 miles. Koehn has made three 20-mile runs throughout his training.
“You run so much over the course of the week that your body is really prepared,” Koehn said.
Mentally, though, “since I haven’t officially run 26.2 miles yet, I’m a little nervous,” Koehn added. “That’s an extra 10K on race day on top of the longest run that I’ve run so far.”
Koehn recites a quote attributed to legendary Packers coach Vince Lombardi.
Your body can stand almost anything. It’s your mind you have to convince.
Remembering that keeps Koehn going.
“It’s not our joints, it’s not our legs that are gonna give out on us most of the time,” he said. “We have to mentally believe we can do it.”
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at [email protected]. Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
More: The children of the Oklahoma City bombing remain symbols of the city's growth
OKC Memorial Marathon
A highlighted look at the April 25-27 weekend schedule:
SATURDAY, APRIL 26: Memorial 5K (7 a.m.), Senior marathon (8 a.m.), Kids marathon (9 a.m.)
SUNDAY, APRIL 27: Marathon, Half Marathon and Quarter Marathon races start at 6:30 a.m.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Memorial Marathon: How Chris Koehn prepared for 26.2-mile race
Continue reading...
