He hopes to raise $10,000 to give to heart association.

About three years ago, Greg Johnson was about 50 pounds heavier and had never run more than 3 miles.

Now, the 6-foot Keizer man weighs 171 and has run three full marathons, 26.2 miles each. Johnson will run a marathon a month until he raises $10,000 in donations for the American Heart Association, starting with the Portland Marathon on Sunday. So far, he has $350.

He pays his travel expenses out of pocket, not from his donation fund.

His next marathon is Nov. 4 at his alma mater, Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va., and after that, he’ll stretch his legs for another marathon Dec. 9 in Dallas, Texas.

His motivation? Saving lives. Honoring his friend and his father. Staying healthy.

One of Johnson’s main reasons for running is his father, who has battled heart disease since 1995.

“He is one of my inspirations as far as changing my lifestyle, becoming healthier,” Johnson said.

Three years ago, his father started a heart-disease-reversal diet created by Dean Ornish, and Johnson started Ornish’s heart-disease-prevention-diet. He took up running and completed his first marathon about a year ago. He raised $4,000 last year for the AHA in honor of his father as well as friend and fellow pastor Cat Cavazos, who died of heart disease in April 2006.

Johnson was in agony during his first marathon Nov. 5, 2006, at Marshall University. He suffered a knee injury but he didn’t quit because he was running for a cause.

“What kept me going was I’m going to save a life,” said Johnson, 46.

Johnson is acting not only for his father and Cavazos but to donate to the American Heart Association to help the group spread information about the disease that many, such as his friend Cavazos, do not even realize they have.

Carrying extra pounds can contribute to high blood pressure, a condition that can be hard to detect, and being overweight also can increase the chance of a heart attack, the AHA’s Web site says. More than 70 million Americans, or one in three, have one or more types of cardiovascular disease.

“Coronary heart disease is America’s No. 1 killer,” the Web site says.

Johnson’s fitness regime to combat his own risk of heart disease: lift weights Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, power up River Road for three-mile jaunts Wednesday and Friday and pound out 17 to 23 miles starting on River Road on Monday.

His diet: He looks for whole wheat bread and pasta instead of white-flour laden starch. He piles more fruits and vegetables on his plate. He only dines on fish or chicken a couple of times a week and hardly touches red meat. Olive oil replaces butter in many dishes.

A typical meal before a marathon is loaded with protein and potassium: a bagel with peanut butter, orange juice and a banana.

He usually runs alone, but he doesn’t eat alone.

His wife, Becky Johnson, prepares the meals for her husband and two children.

She sometimes bikes with him on his runs, but she said, besides the cooking, she mostly stands aside and lets him train.

She doesn’t need to cheer him on too much because he’s already motivated — and persistent.

“Those 26.2 miles get awful long, but when you get a stubborn streak in you you just keep on going,” she said.

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Source: Statesman Journal