Athlete Stories

Andrew Crockett Half Marathon Story
BY: ALEXIA KADOTA-BROWNER

When he joined Life Time 6 years ago and almost 200 pounds heavier, Texas native Andrew Crockett never thought he would one day be running a half marathon. “I had absolutely zero running background…maybe running to the car when it was raining and probably not even making it in time.”

Reflecting on the start of his fitness journey he said, “The heaviest weight at the gym is the front door.” For the past six years, Andrew has been training with Life Time Dynamic Personal Trainer Jacob Davidson, working through the pandemic and a 200 pound weightloss. “From the start, Jacob was able to understand my story of somebody who is 350 pounds, and how somebody like that reacts to a gym experience different than somebody who has been an athlete,” Crockett said.

Starting six years ago with short walks around the neighborhood with his dogs, Crockett has built up his endurance over time to take on longer distances. Now, he says his biggest struggle is realizing the potential of his speed and strength to continue and improve. 

With hot Texas weather controlling optimal training hours, Crockett wakes up at 3 am on his training days to be ready for a run by 4 am. Varying his distances from 5k to 10k to longer runs on the weekends, he mixes up his training and is sure to be at Life Time by 6am for strength training as the second part of his workout. 

Crockett’s strategy over the years was taking his training week by week and setting small achievable goals along the way. “I didn’t set up with this lofty goal to run a half marathon because six years, 200 pounds, 13.1 miles, that’s a lot,” he said. 

Looking forward to his first half marathon, he said “My goal is not to win, but to finish…Part of me has no idea what I’m doing and I’m okay with that. I’m here to move forward 13.1 miles.”