Whether you are considering starting your fitness journey or taking it to the next level, this month’s Medals of the Month winner might just give you the push you need. 

Marcus van Geyzel says if he can do it, anyone can!

Here he shares his transformative journey and how he went from zero fitness to a complete marathoner. 

“I started running in October 2017, aged 38 with zero fitness. My goal was to get healthier, and I started the "Couch to 5K" (C25K) program.

My first few runs were awful, and I could barely jog 100m without a walk break. I abandoned the 9-week C25K program as it was too difficult, and ended up taking almost 6 months to get to 5km.

Those early days seem a lifetime ago now, and in 2019 I ran my first two marathons, at the Gold Coast and Melbourne. 

I've come a long way from being unable to keep up with "Couch to 5K" and hope to run my first 50km ultra-marathon by the end of 2020 (my Instagram name is @couchtoultra)!

Running has changed my life. Having only moved to Melbourne from Kuala Lumpur in mid-2016, running has enabled me to belong to an amazing community of runners, and I've made so many great friends through events and groups -- with a special mention to parkrun and the Westerfoldians!

Through trail running, I've also been able to experience so many beautiful parts of Victoria that I would otherwise never have even considered venturing to.

My message to those who are interested in running but think that they aren't fit enough is -- if a 38-year old with zero fitness who could barely jog 100m can work up to completing a couple of marathons (and counting) within two years, anything is possible.

Go as slow as you want or as quick as you want, for 1km or 50km -- just get out there and put one foot in front of the other. Your life will never be the same again.”

Would you like to be featured in our Medals of The Month?

Our mission is to help celebrate wins and inspire many more, by hanging medals properly.

Keep posting photos of your Medal Displays to our Facebook page or tag @MedalDisplays on Instagram for your chance to be featured and earn yourself a free Medal Display!

Plus, you never know who you might inspire!

We're super excited about this as we know that behind every collection of medals is an awesome story!