Commercials. Bubblegum pop songs. Commercials. Static. Ads. It’s hard to find substance on the radio, but if it’s 6 p.m. on a Wednesday night, you might be in luck.
Turn to ESPN 1280 and you’ll hear Ryan Foran, the founder of “Living the Run” radio show and website, and co-host and Olympian Paul Terek discussing health, fitness, and nutrition.
“Our mission is to help fight the obesity epidemic on the Central Coast and beyond,” Foran said in an e-mail.
With 56 percent of Central Coast adults qualifying as obese, Foran and Terek have their work cut out for them.
Each week on “Living the Run,” Foran invites experts in a particular area to discuss important topics such as exercise, nutrition, and training tips.
In the past, guest speakers have included several local Olympic athletes, gold medalist Dan O’Brien, and even Ultra Marathoner Dean Karnazes.
Not all guest speakers are famous athletes, however. Some speakers are nutritionists, sports drink designers, or cancer survivors who share their story about how fitness helped them recover.
“The goal of living the run,” Foran said, “is to get good information to help improve lives, whether it’s losing weight, getting more active, or just providing good information to people who already love fitness.”
But the show isn’t stuffed academic blather.
“It’s not a doctor in a white coat telling Grandma to take her pills,” Foran joked.
The fans agree, and plans to syndicate the radio show are currently in the works. Foran even hopes to eventually start a television counterpart.
With the success of the website and radio segment, Foran and Terek have taken an aggressive approach to fighting obesity and promoting a healthier way of life.
The co-hosts hold a free running group every Saturday in Avila Beach for all fitness levels.
In addition, “Living the Run” works with the American Cancer Society and the HEAL-SLO Coalition, hosting the upcoming Central Coast Cancer Challenge. LTR also sponsors the City to the Sea Half Marathon in San Luis Obispo this coming September.
For more information, visit livingtherun.com or contact Foran at ryan@livingtherun.com.
Intern Malory Ensor compiled this week’s Community Corner. Send comments or ideas to the Sun via e-mail at intern@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Aug 11-18, 2011.