Michael Bettocchi was watching the news on the evening of April 8, 2024, when coverage turned to a herd of sweaty, exhausted runners who had taken part in the Paris Marathon.
“What about doing one ourselves?” he asked his friends.
They laughed, assuming he was joking.
For years, Mr Bettocchi had eaten to excess, yo-yoed between diets and piled weight back on each time. He avoided the scales, already knowing his BMI was dangerously high. He was in no shape for a marathon.
Mr Bettocchi was up for the challenge, even though none of his friends believed he was serious.
“Part of it was a joke,” he said, “but I also knew that I thrive on challenges.
“I did not know how long it would take, but I knew I would do it.”
Then aged 38, he set himself the goal of completing a marathon before turning 40, in December 2025.
On April 26, 2024, he finally stepped on to the scales: 147.3kg, with a BMI of 47.
The next thing he did was tie his running shoes and jog around his house in Marly, a suburb of Metz (Moselle). He ran 1.7km in 14 minutes.
Over the next 18 months, he changed his diet, followed a strict marathon training plan and shed 40kg. He completed his first 10km and a half-marathon before finally making it to the starting line of the Metz Euro Marathon on October 12, 2025.
Four days earlier, he had felt a rush of panic when he saw the course being marked out on the road facing his home.
“It was real. It was all happening before my eyes,” he said.
Mr Bettocchi was one of 1,920 runners taking part in the race.
By kilometre 26, he was in uncharted territory – the longest distance he had ever run.
Mr Bettocchi's self-published book of the experienceMichael Bettocchi
“That was when it got tough. Very tough,” he said, as the course took runners out to a deserted airbase.
Fortunately, he had asked family members to position themselves at four different points along the route to cheer him on. It helped him keep running and, at last, the end was in sight.
For 18 months, he had dreamt of the finish line, but the reality was somewhat different.
“Nothing happened as I had imagined,” he said, laughing.
For a start, he was not crying. There was no flood of emotion at all. When he crossed the line, he was given a microphone to briefly tell his story, and then it was over.
He came 1,724th out of 1,874 finishers, completing the race in five hours, nine minutes and 58 seconds.
Just 16 days later, he self-published a book about the experience on Amazon.
Mon Marathon is a diary of his 18 months preparing for the race. It was initially meant for his two-year-old son, to show him what his father was capable of, but has since become an inspirational read for others. He is sometimes sent photos from readers donning a pair of running shoes themselves.
Mr Bettocchi says his journey mirrors challenges faced by many Connexion readers integrating into life in France: facing doubt, building resilience and ultimately surpassing oneself.
He says he is now hooked on marathons and is training for France’s most prestigious – the very race he saw on television two years ago. On April 12, he will be one of more than 40,000 runners lining up for the 2026 Paris Marathon.
His ambition does not stop there. Last December, while celebrating his 40th birthday, he announced to assembled guests that he was planning something even bigger: the New York Marathon. A record 240,000 applications for the 2026 event meant his own was unsuccessful, but he remains undeterred: “Une prochaine fois!”
Reflecting on his journey from morbid obesity to multi-marathon runner, he said:
“It was the best decision of my life.
“I had a wife and children: I was already happy. But this has been a rebirth, a revolution. My entire relationship with life has changed.”
