Edward (Ted) Gitonga

It started with a mirror. Not a finish line, not a training plan—just a man in a restaurant bathroom, washing his hands, and staring at himself. Edward Gitonga had just finished dinner and a couple of drinks. He looked up and barely recognized himself.

“I was round,” he says. “Even my face had changed.”

That was in 2019. He weighed 104 kilograms. His joints hurt, he wasn’t sleeping well, his blood pressure was high, and his confidence had taken a hit. More than anything, he felt stuck.

A few days after that night in the bathroom, Edward watched Kipchoge break the two-hour marathon barrier. “No human is limited,” Kipchoge said. And something about it landed. “If he’s not limited, maybe I’m not either,” Edward remembers thinking.

He tried the gym, but it didn’t click. The environment felt forced. Then a friend invited him on a hike. It was about being outside, walking, breathing. No pressure. Over time, those weekends turned into a habit—and into friendships. People he met on the trail talked about running, personal goals, races. Slowly, the idea took hold.

“I used to run before and I wanted to get back into it. But it had been so long and I wasn’t sure if I could still do it,” Edward says.

He found his old running shoes, opened the Runkeeper app he’d been paying for but not using, and went for a run. He only managed a couple of kilometres and walked back home completely worn out.

But it was a start.

“No One Is Coming to Save You”

Around the same time Edward was easing back into fitness, he picked up Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins. The book’s message was direct, almost confrontational: No one is coming to save you. It hit home.

“I could keep telling myself I was alright,” Edward says. “That other people had it worse, or that there was nothing I could do. But I had to stop lying to myself.” So he started being honest. He called his body what it was: unhealthy. He stopped pretending his man boobs didn’t bother him. He let go of the “bad metabolism” excuse. And he took ownership of the choices he’d been making.

The first step was buying a scale. Then he started tracking his blood pressure. He even created health profiles for himself, his wife Sophie, and their nanny—determined to make it a group effort.

That part didn’t go to plan.

“It didn’t go down well,” Edward says, laughing. “Sophie wasn’t having it. The nanny wasn’t thrilled either. I learned quickly that this journey had to start with me alone.”

And so it did. Two runs a week. Sore knees. Aching hips. Blistered ankles.

Running as Self-Repair

For Edward, running became more than exercise. It was a way to reset—physically, mentally, and emotionally.

“I could be stressed, mentally blocked, or overwhelmed. A run clears all of that,” he says. “During the run, I work through problems. I think better on my feet—literally.”

The quiet of the road helped him think more clearly. The structure of a training routine gave him a sense of control. Slowly, his confidence returned.

But progress wasn’t always smooth. A minor knee injury—picked up while helping his mother on the farm—lingered for months. By mid-2023, even climbing stairs was a challenge.

That’s when Edward decided to switch things up. He joined a gym and added strength training to his routine. It was a turning point. He learned that running wasn’t just about endurance—it was about building a body that could support it.

“That’s when I learned about runner’s knee,” he says. “I had to change my form, strengthen my quads, realign my hips. Strength work isn’t optional—it’s survival.”

With the new regimen, everything began to click. By October, he ran a half marathon with no pain.

What started as a few short runs had turned into a full-body transformation—and a new way of living.

The Family That Changed Together

Edward’s journey started out as a solo effort—but it didn’t stay that way for long.

Sophie noticed the changes, and without much discussion, the whole family began to shift. “He’s the one buying groceries,” she says, laughing. “So we eat what he brings home.”

That small change—different food in the kitchen—reshaped how the household ate. They stopped using seed oils, started cooking with natural fats, and focused on nutrient-rich meals. The kids got involved too, helping out and learning along the way.

The effects showed up quickly.

“We used to be in and out of clinics,” Sophie says. “Our daughter had asthma. She was constantly getting nebulized.” Now? “She hasn’t used her inhaler in over a year.”

The kids were healthier, more alert, and barely missed school. “They’re eating better, sleeping better, and you can see it even in how they focus,” Sophie says. “It all started with Edward deciding to take care of himself.”

The Real Win

The shift in Edward’s health changed more than just what the family ate or how often they visited the clinic—it showed up in every corner of their lives, including their marriage.

“Yes, even libido,” Sophie says with a laugh. “Let’s just say there’s a lot more energy all around.”

Edward grins. “Beetroot juice helps too. Nitric oxide opens up blood vessels… everywhere.”

Behind the jokes is something real. Getting stronger didn’t just improve Edward’s body—it brought him back to himself. He’s no longer drifting through the days or reacting to life as it comes. He’s intentional now, making choices with purpose. And through that process—of eating better, moving more, and thinking clearly—he’s found a version of himself that feels whole.