'Biggest Loser' winner runs in Yuma half marathon

John Rhode, the winner of the 12th season of NBC's “The Biggest Loser,” was in Yuma to participate in the Caballeros Territorial Half Marathon on Saturday.

Rhode was one of 320 people who ran the marathon despite wind gusts up to 27 miles per hour during the event.

“It was great,” he said. “I love this race. There was a nice hill at the end that was really challenging, and honestly I think the coolest part … is the people. They are fantastic. I have been treated so well. It was a phenomenal experience.”

Rhode, 41, is a special-education teacher and coach at Desert Ridge High School in Mesa, Arizona.

When he appeared on the first episode of last season's “The Biggest Loser,” he weighed 445 pounds. He ended with a weight of 225 pounds, losing nearly half of his body weight.

“It is amazing,” he said. “I tell people I lost a middle line backer.” He currently weighs about 230 pounds, and attributes the slight gain to an increase in muscle mass.

He now runs marathons for fun, and is training for another half marathon in Phoenix, and a full marathon in Los Angeles. Both are scheduled for March.

“I have a whole new outlook on life, and I have absolutely changed who I am 100 percent from before getting on the show,” he said.

Rhode, who is continually pushing himself to achieve, ran a personal best Saturday.

“I ran a half marathon in two hours, five minutes, and five seconds,” which was a marked improvement as compared to the time he set when he got to the halfway point of a full marathon on the show, he said.

“I shattered my time. I am very pleased.”

Setting out to become physically fit is a huge challenge, but worth the pain in the end, he said.

“A lot of times you give up and get frustrated because you just don't see results. People need to not give up hope. They need to figure out why it is that they need to lose weight, or whatever it is they need to change in their life. They can draw upon that when they are struggling.”

Rhode said his wife and two young sons are his motivation for wanting to live more healthily.

“There are people out there that love you, and there are people out there that need you. They are worth getting better. They are worth getting healthy.”

Chris McDaniel can be reached at cmcdaniel@yumasun.com or 539-6849.