By Kenzi Osborne

For Vermont resident Alan Harris, the shock of seeing a less skinnier and youthful figure in the mirror one evening was enough to inspire a fitness journey.

Now Alan, 48, is a passionate runner and has sights set on completing his first 42.195km marathon at the Gold Coast Airport Marathon to be held on Sunday 5 July.

“I started running when I saw myself in the mirror as I got out of the shower after work and thought to myself how fat I looked,” Alan said.

“I have since looked at photos of myself before I started running and can’t believe I let myself get to that weight.”

This year will mark the Victorian’s newest achievement of completing his first marathon.

“I wanted to do my first marathon in the most popular event. I heard this event (Gold Coast Airport Marathon) was it, so I booked,” Alan said.

Since taking up running in late 2013, Alan has completed a notable list of events with finishing times continually improving.

“Since I started running I have participated in 21 races,” he said.

“The one that really stands out is the Australia Day Race at Rosebud this year where I smashed my target of 45:30 by a whole minute coming in at 44:30.”

Another impressive feat for the beginner was defeating his previous place by 3,862 positions in the Melbourne race ‘Run for the Kids’.

“I have done two Run for the Kids in Melbourne.  The first time I finished the 15k event in 80 minutes – this year they tacked on 500 metres and I still finished it 10 minutes quicker.”

For Alan, his journey has proven to be more than a method for losing weight, with the father owing the chance to reflect on his life to running.

“It has given me time to reflect who I am,” he said.

“The sense of community I now have after being part of this whole running thing has changed me in all aspects of my life.

“I used to be very self-centred, rarely giving my time to others, now I am actively involved with my parkrun event at Lilydale Lake and another running club called Running in the Burbs.”

For the first timer, he has set himself a healthy training schedule which he is confident will ensure he achieves his target time.

“I usually run around 50 kilometres per week,” he said.

“I’m aiming for 3 hours 30 minutes which I’m confident in. I predicted my first half marathon I would run in 110 minutes and achieved this five months after I started running.”

Alan, who will be competing with a group of friends, encourages everyone to give marathon running a try.

“I’m travelling with running friends from Melbourne so a lot of fun and healthy competition will be present amongst us,” he said.

You can follow Alan’s journey to the Gold Coast Airport Marathon via his Facebook page Al’s Running.

The 37th annual Gold Coast Airport Marathon, an IAAF Road Race Gold Label race, will be held on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 July on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.

Click here to enter the Gold Coast Airport Marathon.