His Bath Half exploits have raised more than £4,500 for charity, but former Bath Rugby player David Flatman has yet to see the personal benefits.
The 34-year-old, now the club's communications director, is taking on the 13.1-mile race on Sunday, March 2, to raise funds for the Down's Syndrome Association, the Burned Children's Club and Help for Heroes.
Flatman, who was a 20-stone prop in his heyday, is also keen to lose weight but has so far been disappointed by the results of his training.
Flatman joked: "The children barely recognise me. I've lost over two pounds now.
"They often wonder who is walking through the door. They keep thinking it's Gregg Wallace from Masterchef."
He added: "In all seriousness, they haven't noticed a huge change.
"My mother said it's fantastic that I'm doing this as it's going to completely change my body shape.
"At that point my wife replied: 'Just like that cycle last summer when he lost absolutely no weight at all – he will never lose weight.' She's right, I've just got to accept that and dig in."
Flatman is now preparing to enter the final week of his training programme.
But he said: "I'm getting out there and I am running but I've probably left it a little bit late if I want to see real gains. I'm thinking how long can I leave it before I start tapering my training down, but then how far will I be running when it's tapered – a mile?"
To sponsor him, visit www.justgiving.com/DavidFlatman.
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