A father-of-two from Wiltshire, who lost an incredible 11 stone, is preparing to take on the 2026 Barry Island 10K after completing the race for the first time last year. Freddie Taylor, originally from London, decided to transform his life after battling Covid-19 in February 2022. The 42-year-old said: 'I was just over 24 stone when I got Covid in 2022. I could barely breathe and knew that something had to change. That day I decided to go for a walk, and I promised myself that I’d make it a daily thing. I started off walking 1km in about 15 minutes, and every day from then, I wanted to get quicker and go further.'
Alongside his daily walks, Freddie also began watching his diet. He increased his distance from 1km to 2km, then 5km a day, and eventually started jogging. He lost 11 stone in 12 months and felt better than ever. Freddie, who now champions fitness and wellbeing, said: 'As I got more comfortable with running, I then challenged myself to do 10K a day – seven days a week, and I did this for a while. However, one morning in November 2023, I got dressed in my running tights, with shorts over the top, and went out for my run. It was a cold morning and I hit some hidden ice, slipping and cracking my head on the ground. The alarm on my watch was going off, and I was about to call the emergency services. I managed to cancel it, walked home and asked my wife Sam to stay at home just in case I blacked out. That accident really shook me. That day I hung up my trusty blue New Balance 1080s and instead swapped running for a gym membership, leaving my running days behind me.'
Then in 2025, his friend Stuart asked him if he fancied running the Barry Island 10K. Freddie said: 'I’m still a big fan of Gavin and Stacey and love Barry – my family and Stuart’s family go there together every year on New Year’s Day. I hadn’t been running since November 2023, but thought why not, it would allow me to challenge myself further. Together Stuart and I went out for a few training runs, and in June 2025 we took part in the race. It was my first ever running event, and I loved it. There was brilliant support and people were coming out of their houses with their hoses to cool us down in the heat. At the end I had this real sense of achievement – I’d gone from barely being able to walk to just doing my first 10K race.'
Taking part in the event last year inspired Freddie and Stuart to sign up again for this year. He added: 'A few years ago I never for a minute thought that I’d be able to achieve a 10K. I’d encourage everyone to give it a go – you don’t even have to run, you can walk it if you need to. My wife is super proud of me and has been such a huge support. There’s a bit of a toll on her when I’m getting up early to train or working late and she deals with a lot of the things to make sure I don’t go back to the way I was. But it’s not just been better for me, it’s made me better for my children too. I now have so much more energy and can do things like play football with my sons Charlie and Ollie in the evening, which was always a struggle before due to heavy fatigue.'
The Barry Island 10K takes place in the popular seaside town on Sunday, May 17. Matt Newman, Chief Executive at event organisers Run 4 Wales, added: 'It’s amazing to hear of the transformation Freddie has made to his life and we’re sure his story will inspire many people. We’re proud to create inclusive events where everyone, regardless of where they’re starting from, feels welcome on the start line. We’re very much looking forward to welcoming Freddie back to the Barry Island 10K and can’t wait to cheer him over the finish line in May.' For more information on the Barry Island 10K, visit barryisland10k.co.uk.
