Jason Mitchell: Man on a Mission for Laps with the Chaps Sunset 5K Run/Walk

Jason Mitchell is a man on a mission: To take 10 minutes off his finishing time in the upcoming Laps with the Chaps Sunset 5K Run/Walk, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 20 at 4:30 p.m., at the College of DuPage campus in Glen Ellyn.

This is no small feat, but then, he's not afraid of challenges.

Jason started running in the summer of 2011 after deciding that winter to lose weight and do something truly rewarding. The 2011 Laps with the Chaps 5K Run/Walk fit the bill. He had already lost some weight and he felt the race would further encourage him to move toward better health and fitness. His goal was to just finish the race, which he did by telling himself just that until he crossed the finish line nearly 37 minutes later. “I felt like a champion! I had never run that far or for that long before.”

Weight loss was a major reason Jason wanted to begin running and compete in the Laps With the Chaps at College of DuPage. Through healthy eating and exercise, Jason has been able to lose 100 pounds already and hopes to lose another 60 to 80 pounds before checking off that goal from his list.

This year Jason will be joined by a team called Team Hillstrong, a group of runners he trains with on a sled hill in Oak Park. “They're a great group of friends who are taking health and fitness to a new level, and I'm proud of them. We will all finish this race together.”

For more information on this year's Laps With the Chaps Sunset 5K, contact Ami Chambers, race co-director at (630) 942-3823, email COD5K@cod.edu or visit www.cod.edu/5k.