50-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes to compete in her first marathon

A woman with type 2 diabetes turned to running in a bid to control her condition and is now training to run her first marathon.
Ruth Stokes, who lives in Whickham in Tyne and Wear, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2014 having battled with obesity.
Now aged 49, she is preparing to mark her 50th birthday by running her first ever marathon in her home town of Birmingham.
Ruth told the Birmingham Mail newspaper: “Back then, I couldn’t even run for a bus. I was angry and very upset that I had given myself a potentially life-altering and limiting condition, as I did no exercise and was obese.”
Ruth attended the DESMOND structured education course and made significant changes to her diet and exercise regimens.
“In January 2015, I joined a local, friendly group Gibside Runners on the Couch 2 5k programme and also started to regularly run the 2k route at Great Run Local Gibside,” she said.
“Through the support of run leaders, my club, other runners and volunteers at Great Run Local, I achieved my Couch 2 5k medal in February 2015.”
Since she started running regularly, Ruth has also completed three half marathons and two triathlons. Her diabetes is now well controlled with diet and exercise alone.
She said: “I love the new slimmer, more toned me and I have my life back. Running regularly you get to meet people who genuinely care about and support you – the amount of well wishes and congratulations on completing an event are fantastic.
“I’m not fast, but I get out there and try. The alternative of doing nothing and letting my diabetes spiral out of control does not bear thinking about.”
Picture: Birmingham Mail
Editor’s Note: Our Low Carb Program is a free education program that helps you reduce your blood sugar levels and lose weight. On average, users lose an average weight loss of 5kg after six months and increase the amount of exercise they do by an average of 33 minutes.