Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 114, January 2019 | Page 30

ROAD RUNNING
Life-changing
DECISION
In a remarkable journey from obesity, failing health and a cancer scare, to avid athlete and collector of race medals, Willie
Gagiano continues to smilingly tick off the kilometres and inspire all around him. – BY PJ MOSES
The doctor also warned Willie that if he didn’t lose
the weight, a heart attack might kill him before the
cancer did, and having lost his wife to cancer in 2012,
Willie says he was left with little choice if he wanted to
live, so he started a new diet plus an exercise regime
focused on walking and getting more active. “I was
determined to make this work, because I had a little
girl and I wanted to live to see Tamia grow up.”
That saw Willie start with 100m walks and slowly work
his way up to 1km, even though he was struggling
for breath with every step, and by the end of that first
month he could walk a full 5km. He also focused on
what he ate. “I decided to give the high protein and
low carb diet a go, and it worked for me. Born and
bred in Nababeep, I am a Namakwalander, so I love
my braai and can’t imagine a life without meat. There
are certainly things I miss, like bread and fizzy drinks,
which I have had to cut out of my diet, but as long as I
can eat meat, vegetables, cheese and milk, then I’m a
happy chappie.”
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HITTING THE RACES
During the first year of this new active lifestyle, Willie
decided to start doing 5km and 10km races. “I chose
the Slave Route 5km as my first race in early 2017,
and thought that I would probably be last to cross the
finish line, but I surprised myself when I finished in the
middle of the pack. I was so proud of myself, and that
medal means so much to me. I knew then that I was
on the right track, and if I kept going that I could do
this,” he says.
As the year went on he did more races, on both the
road and trails, getting ever fitter and stronger, and his
breathing improved as his weight came down. “I felt so
good, more like I did when I was still sporty in my school
days, that I decided it was time to go further in distance
and do my first 15km race at Bay to Bay in January
2018. I incorporated a run/walk strategy to make sure
that I finished before the cut-off. It worked and I finished
with 20 minutes to spare. I was overjoyed!”

Having joined Swartland AC for the first year of his
running, Willie recently transferred to Cape Town
club Goodwood Harriers AC. “The majority of my
races are in Cape Town, so it just made sense to
join Goodwood, even though I loved my time at
Swartland. The vibe and feeling of love and support
at the new club is exactly what I need to keep me
focused on my running and weight-loss goals.” Willie
is also part of the 1000km Challenge, which runs
from Comrades to Comrades each year and sees
Willie has made so many new friends through running
ISSUE 114 JANUARY 2019 / www.modernathlete.co.za
W
eighing in at 215kg and suffering from a
shortness of breath when he had to walk
even short distances, Willie Gagiano knew
that he wasn’t in the best of physical shape. What the
45-year-old Riebeeck-Kasteel businessman didn’t
know, though, was the devastating news a visit to
the doctor in late 2016 would bring. “I was diagnosed
with cancer under my tongue, which had spread to
my saliva glands, and I needed to undergo surgery,
followed by radiation therapy to treat the cancer.
Unfortunately, I was too heavy for the bed I needed
to lie on in order to get the radiation therapy, and the
doctor strongly advised me to lose weight. He said I
had to get down to at least 150kg.”