Lee Anne Barnes lost 160 lbs.Photo:Courtesy Lee Anne Barnes; Ryan Coon
Courtesy Lee Anne Barnes; Ryan Coon
A few years after her overweight father died of a heart attack at 64, Lee Anne Barnes — a single mom of 2 weighing nearly 300 lbs. — tossed out her deep-fryer.
“After my father’s funeral, I vowed that I would not leave my children parentless,” Barnes says.
Lee Anne Barnes in 2003.Courtesy Lee Anne Barnes
Courtesy Lee Anne Barnes
When her hometown of Tupelo, Miss., hosted a Breast Cancer 5K in 2008, the elementary school teacher figured she might as well try to jog in honor of her mother who had died of the disease. “I fell in love with running — the sense of accomplishment, the way it made me feel,” she tells PEOPLE. “The next thing I knew, I was running half-marathons.”
Now, Barnes, 59, tries to always have a race on her calendar to stay motivated. So far, she has run 37 half-marathons in 17 states and has a goal of hitting every state before she and her second husband hang up their running shoes.
On Nov. 5, Barnes will run her fourth marathon, theTCS New York City Marathon, which she imagines will be a “26.2 miles-long block party.”
“Running has completely changed my life,” she says. “I consider each day I can run a gift.”
Lee Anne Barnes in 2023.Ryan Coon
Ryan Coon
Barnes carefully kept the weight off for a decade. But when she started to experience symptoms ofmenopausein 2018, her progress slowed — along with her motivation. She stopped running, and her weight crept back up to 235 lbs.
The following year, she opted for avertical sleeve gastrectomy. “It’s a very good tool to have,” Barnes said of the operation. But she clarifies: “The surgery is not an easy way out.”
She also wanted to share the “joy of running” with others in her community, and helped to organize a city-wide, 1-mile “Ripple Run” race for students in 2023. She realized kids' races had fallen off during the pandemic and wanted to start a new tradition.
With the support of PE teachers, Barnes and other educators were able to bring together kids from all eight elementary schools in Tupelo for a fun day of running.
Lee Anne Barnes at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in October 2023.Courtesy Lee Anne Barnes
Since then, she has run theChicago Marathon, her the first since the surgery. But now, her eyes are on New York. “I’m so stoked," she says.
Barnes had entered the lottery for the New York City marathon eight times in 12 years. “Every year I held out hope that this year would be the year.” But she never got in.
Then this year, Barnes, who has been an educator for 33 years, was selected as one of 50 teachers to run New York City as part ofTeam TCS Teachers, which honors teachers across the country.
Lee Anne Barnes in the classroom in 2023.Ryan Coon
Bringing the love of running back to her hometown earlier this year made her stand out among the more than 600 teachers who applied to join Team TCS Teachers, and now the public school teacher is dedicating her New York City marathon to her students. She teaches 356 students – across 21 classes at Thomas Street Elementary School.
“My students inspire me every day, and they will continue to inspire me while running the marathon,” she says. She will dedicate a mile to each of her classes, thinking “of each student in that class and how my life is richer for having the opportunity to teach them.”
Mile 22 will go to her coworkers across the Tupelo Public School District. Mile 23 to the memory of her parents. Mile 24 to her husband, Os. Mile 25 for her children. “And Mile 26 – and the point-2 – will be a celebration of me,” she tells PEOPLE. “My journey to health, and the tremendous gift I have been given: to run.”
source: people.com
