Levin primary school teacher John Apperley.
A Levin primary school teacher is literally half the man he used to be.
After losing more than 70kg in weight, John Apperley is now targeting marathons in the next phase of his fitness journey that has changed his life.
At his heaviest the 61-year-old weighed 148kg. It was a health scare in 2019 that prompted a radical change in lifestyle.
“I collapsed and had seizures with a condition called Atrial Fibrillation which means my heart rate was all over the place,” he said.
Up until that day he had only toyed with fitness and weight loss. From then on he made a conscious decision to change his diet and lifestyle completely. He has even foregone a nightly glass of wine.
“I haven’t touched a drop since then,” he said.
“Watching the impact this had on my family was motivation to say enough is enough. I immediately stopped drinking – I have been 100 per cent teetotal ever since. I worked hard on diet and also explored other options for losing weight.”
Apperley managed to reduce his weight to 109kg through an improved diet and exercise. To further aid his running journey he underwent bariatric surgery two years ago. Post-surgery his weight nosedived to 77kg.
He said joining fitness group Te Ha o te Uru inspired him to focus on his fitness regime. It had been a “massive” factor in his wellbeing journey.
“I thought Te Ha o te Uru was a training group, but is really more like whānau, who along with my wife have inspired me and helped me on my journey. It’s so much more than a training group. We support each other, help each other, lift each other,” he said.
“I managed my first half marathon early last year then spent the rest of last year training to do the 90km bike for Iron Māori, which I achieved.”
“I started joking with my wife that maybe together we could do a marathon. At some point, this moved from being a joke to maybe we could and then on to let’s do this.”
Apperley has come such a long way that he has entered the Red Stag Rotorua Marathon on Sunday, May 6.
He has entered in the marathon walk, with a training plan that involves shorter walks of between 6-10km, medium length walks – which included the Wellington Round The Bays Half Marathon – and longer walks of up to 33km.
He combined walking with biking to reach a good level of fitness and will compete in the Rotorua Marathon. His wife, Felicity, 49, their two children and Te Ha o te Uru will be there in support at the finish line.
He had a goal of averaging of nine minutes 45 seconds per kilometre.
Apperley’s said his improved health and weight loss had benefited not only himself, but his family too.
“I do have a quiet sense of achievement when I look at how far I have come over the last few years. My overarching feeling however is gratitude to my wife and all of the people and organisations who have contributed so much support. I genuinely couldn’t have done it without them,” he said.
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