Willis Michalchuk is a personal trainer who has worked in the health and fitness industry for over 20 years. At the age of 27, Willis Michalchuk set a goal to run his first marathon in Chicago, Illinois. After training for over six months, Willis Michalchuk completed his first marathon in 3.5 hours. Willis Michalchuk has set the goal to run a marathon in all fifty states and has already completed seventeen of them. Willis Michalchuk hopes to qualify and run the renowned Boston Marathon for his last race. Although it seems like this was an easy feat for Willis Michalchuk with his substantial fitness background, he has overcome a great amount to get where he is today. Willis Michalchuk struggled with childhood obesity and he hopes his story will motivate others to take the steps to get fit.

Willis Michalchuk talks about his first marathon experience and the training process, “I was so excited to run my first race in Chicago. I had visited the city before, and I knew it was where I wanted to run my first marathon. Training for this race was very time consuming, but I eventually learned to integrate training into my regular schedule.” When asked about why he wanted to run a marathon in every state, Willis Michalchuk explained, “I decided to do the fifty state challenge because it is something that many would view as crazy or impossible. I want to inspire others to reach their goals and I know leading by example is the best way. I hope people begin to notice that hard work and perseverance pays off in the long run. I also love travelling and running races in every state allows me to take time to vacation and explore new locations with my family.”

Willis Michalchuk wants to inspire others to get healthy. He stated, “Anything is possible. I never would have dreamed of being a marathon runner, but I wanted it bad enough and I succeeded. It was a long process to get to where I am today; however, it is proof that if you take small steps, over time they will equate to something big.”