Grady Pfahl




Tell us about your family
I was married in October 2012 to Megan Pfahl. We live in Gallatin, TN and both work at Long Hollow Baptist Church in Hendersonville. We don't have any little ones yet but there is one on the way. He/she is due about a month after race day so keep in touch for updates on that one!

What was your starting point? How did you know you were out of shape

One day I gathered up a little courage and walked down stairs to the scale. I had avoided it for months (as a side note, if you have been avoiding the scale for any amount of time, go find one now. You need it. Now more than ever). I stepped on and moved that big weight to the left and the little one all the way to the right. Well that settled that, I weighed more than 199. I moved the little weight back to the left and the big one a notch right, representing 200 pounds, nothin. I moved the little one to 210 nope, 220 keep going, 230 not a budge, 240, 250, 260 finally something! I nudged that little weight a little further out until the line finally balanced betwen the two arrows. 262 pounds. That was my plot. closer to 300 than 200 was what I kept thinking. Still it wasn't enough.

What was the turning point for you? When did you decide you want to get in shape?

My Chiropractor looked me square in the eye one day and asked "Hey Grady, want to lose some weight before the wedding?" How can you say no? I agreed and signed up for his weight loss challenge. 

I immediately changed the way I was eating. I cut out all sugar, all of it. And I started exercising. I'd love to tell you it was more complicated than that or that I purchased some miracle meal replacement shake but I didn't. I just cut out the sugar and started getting serious about exercising. And I won that 30 day challenge.

Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give someone just starting out?

Nutrition, nutrition, nutrition. You can beat the crap out of your body at the gym all you want but until you stop putting crap into it, you're going to struggle to get anywhere.

What do you do when you're not working out?

I'm the Multi-site Development Assistant at Long Hollow Baptist Church, I also am an avid reader, currently I am part of a group called David's Men which is an accountability group for men in our church that challenges us to read a book every month with each other, apply it's principles to our lives, and commit edifying scriptures to memory. And lastly, I am trying to get myself ready to be a dad for the first time. Megan and I are expecting our first child in February 2014

After the race, what is going to keep you going? Do you have future fitness goals?

I have some dreams but I'm not sure I'm ready to call them all goals yet

I'd like to run a marathon, specifically the 7 Bridges in Chattanooga in October 2014. We can call that a goal. I'd also like to do the Ironman 70.3 (Half Ironman) but I'm not a triathlete yet and I am a weak swimmer. That one's a dream.

Is there an athlete that you look up to? Why do you look up to them?


Tough to answer anybody except Rich Froning. I mean, the guy has won the Crossfit Games 3 times! I nearly cried the first time I even completed a Crossfit workout. Plus he is a devout follower of Christ and has Galatians 6:14 tattooed on his torso. Take that Tebow! 

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