Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/70194
Fit for the Road Keller?' C ome September, Roadrun- ner Transportation-leased owner-operator Glenn Keller will haul through his fi rst sprint triathlon — half-mile swim, 18-mile bike, 4-mile run. And to think, just six months ago Keller weighed upward of 300 pounds. He's one of seven chosen to be part of CNN's Fit Nation Triathlon Challenge, now in its third year taking selected partici- pants through the training stages toward a goal of better overall health and personal accomplish- ment. Having begun his training in February, by early May Keller had already dropped 35 pounds. And that wasn't his only health improvement. Last year, the 56-year-old got his fi rst one-year conditional medi- cal certifi cation due to his blood pressure being elevated. After his renewal DOT physical this year, he's back on two-year uncondi- 22 | TRUCKERS NEWS | JULY 2012 tional certifi cation and he's feeling better than ever, he says. "This has been crazy, " he says about the Fit Nation program thus far. He's talking mostly about the fi ve-minutes-of-fame dynamic. His hometown of Burleson, Texas, held in his honor a Get Going With Glenn 5K on May 5. Reporters have been tracking him down for stories. It's even gone so far as folks recognizing him on the street. "Is that him? Is that Glenn Keller?!" The operator's just happy for the extra incentive to succeed in a goal that is something of a tall order for the 5-foot-6 hauler. "I'm shooting for around 200 pounds," 'Is that Glenn biking and swimming his way to health by TODD DILLS Owner-operator is walking, running, he says, regardless of results of the triathlon competition. "I can't go back to 300 pounds." He's defi nitely hurdled the bar- rier of understanding his weight's origins. He well recalls being in his mid-to-late 20s just starting out trucking and thinking nothing of it to lump loads himself and make a few extra bucks — and getting in no small amount of exercise. "Then I remember the days of coming into the truckstop all hours of the night" after a long run and hitting the buffet, only to lay down immediately after, he says. "Pretty soon it's 'Where are the lumpers?'" They want to ATTENTION BACK TO HIMSELF. "I WAS TAKING CARE OF EVERYTHING BUT MYSELF," HE SAYS. "MY TRUCK GETS SERVICED EVERY 15,000 MILES, THE CAR EVERY 3,000, BUT I WASN'T TAKING CARE OF MYSELF." WITH FIT NATION, KELLER SAYS, HE'S FINALLY GOTTEN NEEDED