Skip to main content

After 120 Pound Weight Loss, Y Member Looks Forward to Rock, Roll & Run 5K

YMCA of Greater Kansas City
July 16, 2018
Levi at the 2017 Rock, Roll & Run 5K, pictured with his wife, Krystle (center), and Y personal trainer Erin (far left)
Levi at the 2017 Rock, Roll & Run 5K, pictured with his wife, Krystle (center), and Y personal trainer Erin (far left)

Weighing 410 pounds in March 2017, Levi Sperry feared he would die of heart disease.

He was 29 years old and knew he had to make a change if he wanted to be around for his wife and four sons.

So he and his family joined the Bonner Springs Family YMCA. At the beginning, he would breathe heavily just walking across the parking lot. But even on the toughest days, he kept coming back to the Y for exercise and nutrition programs. 

Within five months, he had lost more than 50 pounds and had built up the strength and endurance to participate in his first 5K--the Rock, Roll & Run presented by Providence Medical Center and the YMCA of Greater Kansas City. The positive experience gave him a boost as he continued on his wellness journey.

Now he’s lost a total of 120 pounds through exercise and healthy eating, and he’s looking forward to completing the Rock, Roll & Run 5K again on August 18 at the Providence Medical Center Amphitheater.

Levi wants others to know that when you participate in the run, you’re helping people like him have the opportunity to make life-saving lifestyle changes at the Y. Proceeds from the run support the Y in Wyandotte County, including scholarships for all to have access to membership and programs, regardless of their financial resources.

“If I hadn’t met all of the people here at the Y, if they hadn’t taught me correctly how to change my life, I don’t think I would’ve made it to this point,” Levi said. Personal trainers, class instructors and fellow Y members have all encouraged him.

Over the past year and a half, Levi has traded thousands of calories a day of sugary beverages for water. He’s eating more vegetables. He can keep up with his kids playing in the park. And instead of playing video games 80 hours a week, he’s hooked on fitness and studying to become a certified personal trainer.

He continues to set wellness goals, including training to complete a sprint triathlon and continuing lose weight.

At the Rock, Roll & Run 5K this year, his goal is to do more running than walking and complete it 10 minutes faster than last year. The run is one of the most positive experiences he’s ever had, with people he didn’t even know cheering him on. 

“I will always remember the rock roll run as my first 5K,” he said. “That kind of got me hooked.” 

Plus, it’s for a good cause. 

“Not only are you helping yourself, but you’re helping somebody else,” he said.

ABOUT THE RUN, ROCK & ROLL 5K

Providence Medical Center and the YMCA of Greater Kansas City will present the third annual Rock, Roll & Run Saturday, August 18, 2018, at the Providence Medical Center Amphitheater, 633 N. 130th Street, Bonner Springs, Kan. Learn more and sign up.