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Jogging in place for 30 minutes in a sauna before weighing in, falling off a treadmill while furiously running — these are just a couple of tales told by members of the eight-week Unlimited Weight Loss Challenge. 
Overcoming their fitness obstacles was worth the pain, however.
The event was an “absolute success,” said its ringleader, Bruce Guthrie, who is the Courier sports writer. “I never thought as a group that we’d lose over 200 pounds, but we did it.”
Sponsored by the Courier and Fitness Unlimited, 13 people participated to improve their exercise and eating habits.
“I looked in the mirror before the New Year and decided my New Year’s resolution would be to lose 50 pounds by July 4,” Guthrie said, noting he “hates” New Year’s resolutions. “I shared my goal with folks at the office in passing, and they said they wanted to lose weight, too.”
Guthrie met Shane Pigue of Fitness Unlimited through the planning of the Wally Hall Tournament over Memorial Day weekend. “I mentioned the idea of a fitness challenge, and he was all for it,” Guthrie said.
“We decided to make it a community event. We got the mayor and a couple aldermen involved to make it communitywide.”
Pigue said he was glad Guthrie crossed his path and the two were able to put on the successful challenge.
He said Fitness Unlimited is ready for another challenge, which will kick off Monday. “This one will be more hands on,” he said. “We’re really going to be focusing more on nutrition.”
Guthrie is on his way to meet that July 4 goal. In all, he lost 25.5 pounds.
Pigue was the winner of the challenge, losing a total of 33 pounds. Courier Sports Editor Richard Duke finished third, losing 20 pounds.
Other finishers, in order of the most weight lost, include: Scott Neathery, Benton High School athletic director, 19 pounds; Matt Burks, Courier reporter, 17 pounds; Brad Moore, Benton alderman, 15 pounds; Rick Holland, mayor of Benton, 15 pounds; Gerald Reed, Courier circulation director, 13 pounds; Greg White, Benton alderman, seven pounds; and Dr. John Gillespie, six pounds.
In the women’s division, Mary Bloomquist, Courier classified advertising director, won losing a total of 14.5 pounds. Jennifer Lloyd, Courier graphic designer, lost 9.5 pounds; and Patricia Stuckey, Courier composing director, lost nine pounds.
Many of the those participants have entered the second weight loss challenge. The winning team will receive $1,000. This challenge also will last eight weeks.
Stuckey said the challenge was hard at first. “Once I got into it, I really enjoyed it.” She is one of the participants who will begin the second challenge on Monday.
The first challenge was all good, Stuckey said, “except for running in the sauna for 30 minutes before the weigh in.”
She had had a weak moment and splurged on eating potato chips. To counteract the salty, fatty intake, Stuckey thought a quick way to shed some pounds would be running in place in the dry heat. It worked; she lost four pounds, “but I don’t recommend it to anyone.
“That was the hardest part — giving up potato chips,” she said.
In the end, she said, “it was worth it. I feel so much better and have more endurance. I didn’t have energy before.”
To meet her fitness goals, Stuckey said she would walk, swim and utilize the low-impact circuit room at Fitness Unlimited.
Now, she said, “I’m on to the next challenge and I want to do better. I’m ready for this one.”
During the second week of the challenge, Guthrie was on the treadmill when he had a fall.
“I always would try to snag one in front of a TV. I was going about 7.5 miles an hour, two minutes in. I always would put the towel on the front handle of the machine. I felt like I was doing OK, but then the towel fell, and before I knew it, I fell. I almost hit a bike that was behind me.” He noted that he now makes sure the towel doesn’t move.
Guthrie also will participate in the next challenge.
“The staff at Fitness is so accommodating, the most accommodating of any gym I’ve ever been a part of,” he said.
“And the morale around the newspaper office is about 10 times better because we’re a bit more fit,” he added. “People who weren’t in the fitness challenge probably got sick of hearing about it.”
To celebrate the end of the event, Sakura Habachi Grill and Sushi Bar in Bryant hosted a lunch for challengers.
“Sakura went out of their way to hold the closing banquet,” Guthrie said. “They really stepped up. We couldn’t have asked for a better place to cap off the fitness challenge.”
Mayor Holland is pleased he took part in the challenge. “It changed my lifestyle and my way of eating,” he said. “I appreciate the opportunity they gave me to participate.”
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