Hoboken resident and real estate agent Ashok Singh sat at his computer rifling through old files in search of a photo from when he was nearly 400 pounds. He was hard-pressed to find one.
“I just didn’t take them,” he said. “I didn’t go out, and I didn’t want to see myself.”
Today, Singh, 46, has an outpouring of photos. After losing close to 200 pounds, he has been training to compete in the 2015 TCS New York City marathon on Sunday, Nov. 1.
The marathon is run by New York Road Runner (founded in 1958) and invites the world’s top professional athletes and amateur runners. Its purpose is to provide an opportunity for people to raise money and represent a charity of their choosing.
Singh, who has lived in Hoboken for the past four years, will compete in the 26.2-mile, five-borough marathon representing Team Red, White and Blue (RWB). The race runs from Staten Island to Manhattan, starting at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. The 187 runners of RWB are representing a charity that helps American veterans stay active in the community and avoid the path of unemployment, homelessness and suicide.
Overcoming hurdles
Singh was born in Trinidad, the birthplace of his parents, but mostly identifies with the Bronx where he was raised from the age of 3.
He moved to Hoboken in 2011.
After reaching 400 pounds, his motivation to change mostly stemmed from his mother. She battled with Type 1 diabetes until ultimately succumbing at age of 81 due to complications. She also suffered from high-blood pressure and Alzheimer’s. Singh recalls aiding his mother with her daily insulin shots.
“I’m literally half the man I used to be.” – Ashok Singh
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Singh was no stranger to the hereditary disease, as he was diagnosed at age 30. Although unlike his mother, he had Type 2.
The American Diabetes Association says Type 1, which appears in only 5 percent of people with diabetes, happens when the body does not produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone to help break down glucose. Meanwhile Type 2 diabetes, which is the most common, occurs when the body does not use insulin properly.
“I was diagnosed when I was 30 and I basically ignored it for a long time, a good 10 to 12 years,” said Singh.
Despite his doctor telling him the diabetes was mainly weight-induced; Singh idled on occasionally opting for a healthy snack while the bulk of his diet was harmful to his condition.
He decided to make a change due to a number of circumstances. For one, he had to take seven different medications. Later, during a skiing trip to Colorado, he needed a friend to help him buckle his boots.
Then, having his mother pass away drove the point home.
“When my mother died five years ago, I said, I don’t want to be that person, and that’s when I decided to make a change,” said Singh, who was 42 at the time of her death.
Finding the right fit
This will be the real estate agent’s first time competing in the TCS NYC Marathon and a course of its length. He’s done 18 to 19 miles in the past.
Still, he’s confident he will make it. He gives credit to his friend Michael, who dragged him (sometimes literally) out of bed to work out. He’s participated in cross-fit competitions, countless 5Ks and 10Ks and biathlons as well.
He’s already looking to compete in the 2016 TCS NYC Marathon.
From its first race in the early 1970s which totaled 55 finishers, last year’s race attracted 50,530 finishers.
“I might run four miles and walk half a mile, run half a mile, and walk if I need to, but I have no doubt that I will finish,” he said before pausing. “It’s a race against me.”
However he has another, much greater goal in mind.
“I want to participate in the Kona [Hawaii] Iron Man World Championship,” said Singh. “I think I’m close as I can ever be. I just have to work on the swim. Swimming 2.4 miles is the toughest part of the triathlon…I can do the running and 112 mile bike-ride but still working on the swimming.”
In joining Team RWB early in his training, Singh was exposed to war veterans who were suffering from both physical and mental ailments. Some missing a limb or with back stories that dwarfed any issue in Singh’s own life, he said.
“When you are running with a veteran with one arm or leg, you have no excuses,” he said. “But some problems are not necessarily missing a limb. A lot of these guys are going through things you don’t see…like PTSD. We lose 22 veterans a day to suicide and that’s the ones that we know about. When you’re around people like that, [you have] no choice but to be motivated.”
Today, although the threat of diabetes resurfacing always exists, Singh is no longer required to take medication. For others looking to make a change, he said, there’s no secret diet plan or recipe. According to Singh, one needs to simply commit to the decision.
“It feels great when I stopped taking medication. I still get blood work done every three months but everything has come in line. I lost 190 pounds…I’m literally half the man I used to be.”
Steven Rodas can be reached at srodas@hudsonreporter.com.