Kirk Robertson Sheds 170 Pounds, Becomes Ultra Runner

Old friends no longer recognize him.

"I've been fat since I was five," said 33-year-old Kirk Robertson of Broken Arrow.

The man transformed himself from a 340-pound liver disease sufferer to a healthy 170-pound ultramarathon runner in less than two years.



"All my high school friends are like, 'You run marathons?' " he said, his voice emulating his friends' skepticism.

Not only does he run 26-mile marathons and 50-mile ultra-marathons, but also he absolutely loves it.

"It's just fun. If it wasn't, why bother doing it?" Robertson said.

Just two years ago, he didn't exactly consider running fun. He had never run before.

He was overweight. And he developed nonalcoholic fatty liver disease-associated cirrhosis and colitis, both of which caused his gallbladder to fail.

Even diagnosing the condition was difficult. He was too big to fit in the CAT scan.

"The doctors told me, 'You're going to need a new liver in a couple of years,' " Robertson recalled. "They wanted to do a gastric (bypass) on me."

He finally had enough.


"I didn't want to do that," he said. "So I started on my own."

He researched exercise, fitness and diet. He followed "Eat This Not That," the No-Diet Weight Loss Solution. He signed up for boot camp at the R.C. Dickenson Family YMCA and he worked out almost daily.

"I started to make better choices, which I think is really the key. I parked farther away. I started walking at work and taking the stairs. I walked the neighborhood," Robertson said.

Five months into his regimen, he signed up for the Tulsa Zoo 10K, thinking he would just walk it. He ran some and walked some and came in second to last.

It was a start.

"I did the Tulsa Run and tried a half-marathon. I really got going and I was actually doing pretty well," Robertson said.

Over the months, the weight just melted away.

"It's important to keep the weight off. You have to immerse yourself in a lifestyle change," Robertson said.

This August, he will lead his second Couch to 5K beginner's running class at the Y as training for this year's Tulsa Run. Leading the classes is a way to "spread my love of running."

Robertson also is a member of Tulsa Area Trail and Ultra Runners, or TATUR, a group of people who love to run area trails. It caters to regulars and beginners, spreading the joy of experiencing nature while running.

"It's pretty. In the fall, the leaves are turning," he said.

Throughout his fitness journey, Robertson has found there are many misconceptions of people who run marathons.

"You don't have to be a skinny Kenyan to run an ultramarathon," he said. "It's not necessarily how fast you run, it's just that you finish."

Running ultramarathons of 50 miles or more is not only physically challenging, but also mentally grueling, he said.

"I came up with a saying, that 'Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional,' " Robertson said. "Yeah, your legs hurt. Once my whole left foot was one big blister. But you can find your place beyond the pain."

Of course, not everybody wants to be a runner. And they don't have to be, he said. Variety of exercise is important, as well as building muscle and strengthening your entire body.

It doesn't matter whether you have a lot of weight to lose, a little or none. Fitness is key, he said.

"I tell people, 'Don't put limits on yourself. Don't put yourself in a defined category,' " Robertson said. "You don't have to be on 'Biggest Loser' to lose hundreds plus pounds. You can do it on your own."

Once people make a commitment to a healthy lifestyle and healthy eating, they will be amazed at the energy they have, he said.

"Just start. Don't put limits on yourself," Robertson said.

As for his next challenge, Robertson is eyeing his first 100K (62 miles) run set for October in Tahlequah.

"I was the fat kid in school. And I got picked on a lot. I remember how I was and I'm so focused on that," he said. "It motivates me and keeps me going."