A 288-pound woman set a world record, becoming the heaviest woman to complete a marathon.
“I was looking around for other plus-size people who had done marathons, and I saw a lot of people who started the marathon but didn’t finish it,” she said. “So I was just really inspired by the idea of being plus-size and finishing the marathon, and the visibility that would create for other people who wanted to try it and thought they couldn’t because of their size.”
Chastain completed the Mainly Marathon in Sanford, Maine.
While training for the marathon, Chastain began incorporating other training into her regimen—she plans on competing in the Ironman Arizona in November.
To record herself running the marathon, Guinness rules stipulated that Chastain wear a camera at all times during the race.
She said she borrowed two GoPro cameras and alternated them each loop, with two batteries and 12 memory cards.
She was also required to weigh-in before the race and after she finished, with two impartial witnesses and a film crew present.
Everyone there had to fill out paperwork.
“This title will serve as an example to the plus-size community that there is no such thing as a limitation,” she said.
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