HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Alfredo Garcia Jr. has been pushing himself as he trains to take on his first Aramco Houston Half Marathon. Garcia said his decision to run in the race is a tribute to his weight loss journey and a promise he made to his grandmother before she died.
“Before I lost her, she wanted to make a promise to myself… make myself better, health-wise.” Garcia shared.
At his heaviest, Garcia said he weighed 300 pounds, facing type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. The gravity of his situation was reinforced when his doctor asked him one question.
“In 2023, my endocrinologist sat down and told me, ‘Do you want to live past 40?’ When he said that to me, it was like, wow… yeah, I do.”
Garcia consulted with a nutritionist and was prescribed a GLP-1 medication to aid in his weight loss.
“Weight loss can come easy to some people, but to others, they need that extra help, that extra motivation to get there,” Garcia said. “I see it more as a tool. It’s not the weight loss miracle pill that some people might think, you still have to put your work in.”
Garcia proudly told us he is now off his diabetes medication and has shed 100 pounds.
“There are days that I definitely don’t want to come out here and run those six miles. You just have to push yourself, that’s part of the journey,” Garcia said. “To me, running the Houston Half Marathon would be the final testament that I did it.”
About 2026 Chevron Houston Marathon
With all races, including charity entries, officially sold out, the Chevron Houston Marathon is set to make yet another major mark in our city.
Watch ABC13’s Chevron Houston Marathon coverage on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026 live at 6:30 a.m. on TV and anywhere you stream. Just search “ABC13 Houston” in your app store.
In 2026, race weekend is Jan. 9-11, with the schedule of events as follows:
Friday, Jan. 9
Houston Marathon Health and Fitness Expo presented by Houston Methodist
10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
George R. Brown Convention Center
Saturday, Jan. 10
We Are Houston 5K presented by Aramco and Chevron
McKinney and Crawford
8 a.m. start
RunFest
Discovery Green, Jones Lawn
7 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Houston Marathon Health and Fitness Expo presented by Houston Methodist
8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
George R. Brown Convention Center
Sunday, Jan. 11
The Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon
Start at Congress and Fannin
6:35 a.m. Marathon & Half Marathon Wheelchair & Handcycle Division
6:45 a.m. Aramco Houston Half Marathon Elite Field
6:55 a.m. Chevron Houston Marathon Elite Field
6:55 a.m. Marathon & Half Marathon Open Field
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