In the event you’re a MAN v FAT member primarily based within the north west, you may properly have completed a double take while watching this 12 months’s Race Towards The World sequence on the BBC.
One of many groups featured on this 12 months’s sequence – which sees contestants aiming to journey over 12,000km – consists of Harrison Devine and his sister Katie.
Harrison is a protracted standing member of our unbelievable MAN v FAT Warrington neighborhood and he and his sister will probably be travelling throughout Europe and Asia, the biggest continental space on earth.
The route carves by eight distinctive international locations: Italy, Greece, Türkiye, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia – every bringing its personal language, tradition and local weather.
In probably the most excessive race so far, circumstances swing from 30-degree Mediterranean warmth to subarctic temperatures of –20°C. They usually’ve received to do all of it on a funds of lower than £26 per individual per day.
Harrison is probably going well-known to MAN v FAT golf equipment within the north, having picked up XIs Participant of the 12 months in 2024 attributable to his prolific goalscoring. He additionally featured in our Wonderful Losers sport at Leyton Orient, having misplaced over 30% of his beginning physique weight on the programme.
With the present at present airing on the BBC, we caught up with Harrison to learn the way the story unfolded for him, each with MAN v FAT and on the TV present.
Do you assume your time with MAN v FAT helped put together you for Race Throughout the World?
Sure undoubtedly. MAN v FAT has given a lot, not simply when it comes to being bodily fitter, however being mentally stronger and devoted, as properly rising my confidence. While being away on the Race, you need to continually work together with individuals and it takes lots of confidence to go up and converse to strangers understanding that there’s going to be a language barrier or that they may not give you the option that can assist you.
MAN v FAT instils a way of self-worth again into you as you’re employed onerous to really feel higher about your self, extra comfy in your individual pores and skin and that offers you extra confidence to go and converse to individuals and never fear about what they could consider you.
Had been there moments within the race the place your health journey gave you a bonus?
I’d prefer to assume we deliberate properly sufficient that we by no means caught having to run for a prepare or bus, however the Race itself is an 8-week journey, so it continually exams you bodily. I imply, you’re carrying round a 20kg rucksack more often than not, so it’s a great job I’ve misplaced 45kg within the first place in any other case my knees would have been in a world of bother!
Did your MAN v FAT expertise affect the way you dealt with challenges or setbacks?
Weight reduction usually isn’t a continuing linear development. You may have your ups and downs, and as males who clearly love that additional little bit of food and drinks, it’s troublesome to not let one or two unhealthy weeks change into one or two unhealthy months. I personally discover it very straightforward to say after a foul weekend calorie clever, ah sod it, I’ll have already put weight on, so I’ll double down and never get again on the well being kick till the subsequent weigh in, however you study that’s not the angle to have.
You need to perceive that there will probably be setbacks however look to a extra long-term view whereby one unhealthy day of energy doesn’t have an effect on your week or month. That was fairly just like the Race, sure one or two issues can go unhealthy on a leg of racing, however so long as you do most issues proper (Discover low-cost lodging, don’t blow the funds on costly meals and drinks, don’t miss your transport) then total you need to be in a great place!
MAN v FAT has modified my life. It has modified who I’m as an individual, my pursuits, my hobbies, my friendships, and my way of life. It’s a neighborhood I’m extremely proud and honoured to be part of because it’s not simply your individual story, it’s everybody else round you that’s equally as inspiring.
So to signify MAN v FAT on nationwide TV means so much to me. I’m hoping it spreads the phrase in order that different males who have been in my state of affairs hear about MAN v FAT and provides themselves the chance to vary their very own lives by signing as much as it.
I say this to everybody, apply for the present and see what occurs. It’s one of the best factor I’ve ever completed… and possibly will ever do. I wrestle to place into phrases how cool the entire expertise was.
How do you hope your story will affect others who could also be combating their weight or confidence?
When signing as much as Race Throughout the World, one in every of my largest hopes was that my story would be capable to attain a wider viewers and assist different males shed pounds and improve their confidence.
I really feel a completely totally different individual from the person I used to be 3 or 4 years in the past once I joined MAN v FAT. Attending to a weight and confidence degree the place you not sit in public readjusting your t-shirt each few seconds, or not eager to eat at a buddy’s BBQ for worry of judgement, is such a surreal feeling for us males who’ve all the time felt that method, and it’s genuinely liberating.
I joined MAN v FAT with the intention of simply eager to play soccer once more. I had all the time been an even bigger lad and by no means knew it was potential for me to be something totally different. I then began to lose a bit of little bit of weight and have become in a short time encapsulated by it and getting fitter. For any males studying this who assume they’ll by no means shed pounds and that you simply have been born to be huge, that was me earlier than MAN v FAT. Simply give it a go and see how far you may push your self.
Are there any new targets or challenges you’ll be setting your self?
I’m all the time wanting to enroll to new occasions and challenges. I not too long ago ran my first Marathon in April 2026 so perhaps trying to do one other a type of, however I’d prefer to see if there’s a method I can mix my new love of journey with health as properly. Possibly a 10km run in each nation in Europe… one thing daft like that!
