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Community Corner

Thousands Attend Saddleback Church Fun Run

The event was part of the Daniel Plan, a program that the church encourages its members to participate in to improve their health.

Members of Saddleback Church are on a yearlong journey to better physical health, and over the weekend, some moved 5 kilometers—others, even 10—closer to that goal.

The mega-church kicked off its inaugural Fun Walk & Run early Saturday morning as part of the church’s healthy-living program, the Daniel Plan.

The program encourages better eating habits—particularly the avoidance of processed foods—and regular exercise. By leading physically healthier lives, church members will in turn be able to live healthier spiritual lives, the plan proposes.

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At the Fun Walk & Run, a range of aspects of health were on display, including cooking workshops that taught attendees how to make nutrient-rich smoothies using raw foods.  

Most, however, came to participate in the run. More than 1,000 official participants either ran or walked Saturday morning.

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“I exercise about three days a week,” Saddleback Church member Larry Owens said. “Had [the church] not started this plan, not very many of these people here today would be doing some kind of exercise. It’s helped bring them into an exercise program.”

One of those people who might not have been there without the encouragement of the Daniel Plan was Lisa Albers, who attended Saturday's event with her husband.

“I’ve been struggling with the exercise, and that’s why I’m here today,” Albers said. She said she and her husband, Joe, have kept with the Daniel Plan throughout the year. “I’ve lost 10 pounds so far, and I have more energy," she added.

Before the 5K run began, Pastor Rick Warren, Dr. Daniel Amen and celebrity guest Austin Andrews—a participant in the televised weight-loss competition The Biggest Loser—encouraged the participants to give it their best effort.

Andrews said he weighed 396 pounds before the television show and has since lost 174 pounds. The method is simple, he said.

“The first thing you have to do, you gotta count your calories,” Andrews explained. “You have to know the habits you have in order to change them. The second thing is you have to start moving. There’s no better way to change your life than to become a little more active.”

Warren said the Daniel Plan started last fall.

“I was baptizing last fall, and I did 850 people on one day. And that was about 50,000 pounds, and I realized … we’re all overweight,” he said. “We need to get in shape, and knew that I can’t ask them to get in shape unless I do. So I got up and made a commitment to lose 90 pounds in a year.”

Warren said the plan was put together by three friends of his who are well-known doctors: Amen, Mehmet Oz and Mark Hyman.

For Saddleback Church, another important piece of the living-healthy puzzle is working together.  

Steven Barteau and Randy Celaya are members of a small group  participating in the Daniel Plan. “It’s helped me lose 15 pounds,” said Celaya. He also said that if wasn’t for the encouragement of his small group he, “probably would have been sleeping right now.” Barteau said the accountability of working toward better health with others makes it less difficult.

Dee Eastman, director of the Daniel Plan, said pushing for better health is best done as a group.

“The biggest thing about our whole program is that we’re better together,” she said. “We try to maintain the momentum by not doing it alone.”

While it was called a fun run, the event was really a race for some.  

The top three male finishers in the 10k race were Mark Donaldson, Mark Kelly and Matt Schnoor. Maya Kass, Nicole Pepper and Brenda Edgell were the top three female 10K finishers.

In the 5K, the three top women’s spots went to Michelle Nestor, Pamela Amel and Grace Dalo. The top male finishers were Christian Chung, James Porter and Kevin Lu.

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