This posting comes from a series of articles that reflect Zachry’s efforts to promote health and wellness in its employees.

The story is admittedly an extreme one, but definitely impressive. It introduces us to Ed Brown, a startup planning manager for Zachry Engineering in Houston. 

A few years ago Ed didn’t exercise at all, and his main hobby was work. But when he found himself weighing in at 280 pounds, he knew it was time to change.

He started by buying a treadmill, but found it way too boring. “The dreadmill is what I called it, the hamster wheel,” he said. “But once I started running outside, I started enjoying it.”

With encouragement from runner friends he set his sights on a big goal: the 2009 Rock ‘N Roll Marathon in San Antonio. “I ran 10 miles one time and thought if I could do 10 miles, I could do a marathon.” And he was right, completing the race in 5 hours, 21 minutes.

Shortly after that he moved to Florida with Zachry. There, in October 2010, he ran his first ultramarathon, completing a 50k-race in just over five hours. And that was so much fun he signed up for a 50-mile trail race in Texas — followed by his first 100-mile race in February 2012, where he finished in 24 hours, 35 minutes.

But even that wasn’t enough. He set a goal to run the Cactus Rose 100-Mile Trail Run in Bandera, Texas in October 2012. This is marked by rocky trails with steep climbs and descents and often treacherous footing—so much so that the race website warns, “No whiners, wimps or wusses: A nasty, rugged trail run. Bonus points for blood, cuts, scrapes & puke.”

The course won that day with Ed pulling up after 70 miles with an ankle injury. But eventually he was ready to run again, this time in the Leadville Trail 100. He finished this inside the 25-hour cutoff time, earning a coveted silver and gold trophy belt buckle.

If you ask Ed he’s not doing anything that anybody else couldn’t do. He believes anyone can run — they just have to get off the couch, lace up their shoes, set a clear goal to finish the race, and go. That may be a slight understatement, but Ed is still an inspiration for all of us.