Following Robert Oliver’s bariatric surgery in June 2023, he had a simple goal for himself — keep the weight off. He initially started with short walks, aiming to progress to running a full 5K.

“I've always wanted to run, but everyone knows, man, I was real heavy set as a child, growing up and everything,” Oliver said. “I wanted to do these things people always talked about, people always talked about running a 5K, completing a 5K and I never knew what a 5k was until I started doing my research. And then I was like, ‘OK, so a 5k is 3.1 miles,’ and so, and I tried to go out after high school and all that, and I was gonna be like, I want to do one of these 5K events.”

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Submitted / TPI Robert Oliver crosses the finish line at the Detriot, Michigan International Marathon he particpated in. He noted this being his favorite race he's competed in.

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Submitted / TPI Alexander City's Robert Oliver poses with his race bib before competing in the Louisville, Kentucky marathon. He plans to compete in a marathon in all 50 states.