In the "Spotlight" with Ernie

Meet the amazing and awesome Ernie from Grayson California... Ernie"s story will motivate you to get up, get fit and be happy!!!  What an honor to call you my friend Ernie...

Hello, my name is Ernest Nunes and I want to tell you how I got into trail running . My journey started in 2002 I was morbidly obese and dieing from obesity weighting in 485 pounds my body was shutting down I had diabetes, sleep apnea , heart failure ,peripheral neuropathy in both lower legs from knees down to my feet no felling at all. I had to sleep in a recliner chair to sleep because I could not lay down because if I did I couldn’t breath and when I went out of home I had to carted around an oxygen tank. During a regular checkup at the Veterans, Administration Palo Alto Health Care Systems a doctor who oversaw Gastric Bypass surgeries happened to see me.  He warned that I wouldn’t live long without help . He suggested gastric bypass,  which reduces the stomach to the sizes of and egg to control a person food intake . Also had to make a life style change .

So after the surgery I got into water aerobics class . As I started to lose weight I could move a little better , and the weight started to come off a little faster 100 pd. Then 150 pd. 200 pd. 250 pd. Then 300 pd . The I started to work out a program of lifting weight’s and running in the pool for one hour every day. Then one I start to run out side first one block the then two blocks then quarter mile , then one mile , and did this until my best friend John called and want me to do a 5k with him so I went to this run and this got me hooked on running the I just keep on pushing it up 10k , half marathon , marathon first marathon was in Las Vegas.

Dec.2006 as I was training I got a blister on the ball of my right foot it turn in to a callus so I played my own doctor and I cut it off and as I was training the spot got infected but I didn’t want to stop so I ran the marathon and by now the foot was really infected and started to smell bad so I went to the V.A. doctor and he put me I the hospitably and amputated the ball and big toe on my right foot . The doctor tells me that I could run because I wouldn’t have good balance but I would give in so as soon as I got out I started to train by walk in then after a few months I started to run on the road but gave me a lot of pain so one day I was look on the internet for something to run and came a cross Pctr .com look at there calendar so I pick out the Red Wood Park 30k and just went for it not knowing what I was getting into man it was hard so I just keeping running in there runs an keep on pushing it to the next level 25k ,30 , then marathons, then 50ks my first 50k was in Las Vegas the Full Moon Midnight Run with Calico Racing then I did the S.F One day 12 hr. next it was 24 hr . just keeping pushing it to were we are at today .

.I just try to live healthy life and a good work out program .As I run I do what I call a Richman Shuffle it a slow trot and a Big Smile on my face like I own the world I just enjoy life to the fullest and at 64 yrs. Old. I don’t have to prove anything to anyone just my self I’m just enjoying the ride that GOD gave me with this new live HAPPY TRAILS.
-Ernie-