Running For Relief

Melissa Kahn remembers looking in the mirror six years ago and not recognizing the woman gazing back at her.

- Linda Childers

“I was pushing 300 pounds and had on a pink-striped triple-XL sweater,” recalls Melissa, 46, of Phoenix. “It was a real wake-up call for me because the person in the mirror didn’t reflect the younger, fitter person I felt like on the inside.”

Melissa had been overweight her entire life, but as her 40th birthday approached, her weight was at an all-time high. She had osteoarthritis in both knees and hips and had been diagnosed with osteopenia (a precursor to osteoporosis). She couldn’t play with her four active children, and it hurt to walk any distance.