When I first met Darin  three years ago he weighed over 20 stone and could only walk a short distance without getting out of breath.

Amazingly, he lost 70lbs with his Slimpod and has kept it off for over five years. Not only that, he’s so motivated he has taken up running and cycling.

I’ll always remember with great pride the message Darin posted on Facebook when he completed his first half marathon: “Now I’m an ATHLETE!” That was an incredible achievement in the space of two years, because Darin always considered he was the last man in the world who’d ever be able to take up running.

In 2013 he ran the London Marathon with two other Slimpodders and with that under his belt (a rapidly-decreasing belt!) there was no stopping him. Most days you’ll find him training on the seafront at Southsea, near his Portsmouth home, and if he’s not running he’ll be cycling. He’s a man who’s now driven to achieve.

This is what Darin said before his weekend duathlon with Dame Kelly: “If you change your life for the better and try things that you once thought never possible, sometimes something awe inspiring could happen.

“I am taking part in a local small event and look who is taking part. A TRUE SPORTING LEGEND. I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am about tomorrow.

“Dare to dream the dream, amazing things can and will happen. They are happening to me an awful lot.”

Darin, everyone at Slimpod salutes you and what you can achieve – because you’re a legend, too!

You’ll want to read Darin’s full three-year Slimpod success story >>