Houston, TX -- (ReleaseWire) -- 09/16/2016 --Local resident, Marcus Cook, announced today that he will be competing in the 2016 Mack Cycle Escape to Miami Triathlon on Sunday, September 25, 2016 in Miami, FL. Cook, who underwent a gastric bypass in September 2015, has completed several races since the surgery, including five sprint triathlons, one which he ran with his surgeon, Garth Davis, M.D., a Bariatric Surgeon affiliated with Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center, and Assistant Professor of Surgery at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth. "Marcus joked that if he lost a certain amount of weight, we should participate in a triathlon together. I didn't believe he was serious. But as I watched him shed pounds, eat right, and get active, I knew I needed to hold up my end," Dr. Davis said of his commitment.

Cook and his surgeon, Dr. Davis, will be teaming up once again as they compete together in the Olympic distance race in Miami (swim 0.9 miles, bike 24.8 miles, run 6.2 miles) where they will embark on a scenic journey through Miami Beach that begins at the infamous Escape Island. This will be Cook's second Olympic distance triathlon, after finishing the TriRock Austin Triathlon in Austin, TX this past Labor Day.

Cook has invested in a year of hard work and has been rewarded with incredible results. With a pre-surgery weight of 489 pounds, the procedure alone would not be enough to achieve a healthy BMI. Dr. Davis, an accomplished triathlete himself, challenged Cook to use this surgery as a tool to aid in a lifestyle change. What seemed an insurmountable goal, Cook turned into a reality by taking the words of his surgeon to heart: "Do something new every day."

Cook has surrounded himself with a team of people who are helping him to achieve success on his journey to healthy living. One teammate advised him to set a goal of something tangible; something he couldn't do now, but could work toward. Triathlon training became that goal.

Cook hopes that his story will be motivation for others who are overweight or are too intimidated to set such lofty goals for themselves. He wants to show that by applying hard work and doing something new every day, they, too, can achieve triumphs that never before seemed possible. "I hope someone will hear my story and say, 'If he can do it, I can do it.' I was nearly 500 pounds, and I made a change."

See more of Cook's story at http://www.bigtolittle.com.

Follow Marcus on social media:
@teambigtolittle (Twitter)
@bigtolittle (Facebook)
bigtolittle (Instagram)
bigtolittle (Vimeo)

For more information on the Escape to Miami Triathlon visit http://www.escapetomiamitriathlon.com.