- I thought Tom was a typical dull teenage boy, says Roy about his son Tom (26). Tom's adolescence was marked by a lot of illness, and his father Roy often had to force his son to go to school. When Tom was 18, the doctors found out that something was seriously wrong. They knew he had been suffering from chronic kidney failure for many years. He went through dialysis treatments for five or six years and was, so to speak, chained to the hospital bed.

- As a single father, it was very difficult to experience, and I had a bad conscience because I thought Tom was just a lax boy when he was younger, Roy says to the Oslo Marathon.

Roy volunteered as a kidney donor, but got a resounding no as he was overweight. I weighed 45 kg at most. I had never thought that weight would stop me from saving my own son. That's when I realized I had to do something.

-Do not go out too hard

Roy went home in the think tank. It was time to dump her and move on. He enrolled in a fitness center, attended a diet course and gained momentum during training.

- In 12 months I lost 20 kg. It was so incredibly motivating. He even managed to lose another 10 kilos. He ate healthy and exercised regularly.

- I cut down on the amount of food, and I started eating a lot more salad.

Roy has always walked a lot, but running was relatively new to him. He started small.

- In Skien there is a light trail of 5 km where I walked and ran around each other. It was heavy at first, but eventually I ran more than I walked. First I managed one round, then two, etc. It was a great motivation!

The son eventually received a kidney from another donor, but Roy decided to maintain his new lifestyle. After participating in his first 10 km, the 49-year-old decided to run a half marathon the following year. In the autumn of 2018, he was on the starting line for the Oslo Marathon, where he ran for Organ Donation. He experienced enormous mastery, and set himself the goal of running a marathon the following year.

- I have run for three years now and fortunately have never been injured, says Roy who is sure that a lot is due to gradual progression.

- You must not go out too hard when you start running. Start calmly and build up. Investing in a good heart rate monitor can also be beneficial, as you can constantly monitor that the heart rate does not get too high. I also vary my training, and spin a lot.

Run a marathon during the BMW Oslo Marathon

September 21 this year was a big day for Roy. He ran a full 42 km for the Organ Donation Foundation.

- The atmosphere along the trail was so incredibly uplifting. I was cheered on all the way, and got a lot of nice response. Especially when I ran past the Organ Donation gang! The last 10 km, however, I got cramps in my legs, but I SHOULD have that medal. I reached the finish line, and then I was actually not as tired as I had thought! Maybe it indicates that I am in good shape? However, my colleagues had imagined that I would have to be picked up in white coats, but the marathon exceeded all expectations!

The joy of training has not spread to his son yet, but Roy wants to maintain his good habits.

- The changes I have made in terms of exercise and diet have led to my everyday life becoming easier. I am more awake, have more energy and running has become fun! A big motivation is also my son. Suddenly he needs a new kidney, and then it's good to know that I can finally be his spare stock! 

• I thought Tom was a typical dull teenage boy, says Roy about his son Tom (26). Tom's adolescence was marked by a lot of illness, and his father Roy often had to force his son to go to school. When Tom was 18, the doctors found out that something was seriously wrong. They knew he had been suffering from chronic kidney failure for many years. He went through dialysis treatments for five or six years and was, so to speak, chained to the hospital bed.
• As a single father, it was very difficult to experience, and I had a bad conscience because I thought Tom was just a lax boy when he was younger, Roy says to the Oslo Marathon.

Roy volunteered as a kidney donor, but was flatly denied as he was overweight.

• I weighed 145 kg most of the time. I had never thought that weight would stop me from saving my own son. That's when I realized I had to do something.

• Do not go out too hard

Roy went home in the think tank. It was time to dump her and move on. He enrolled in a fitness center, attended a diet course and gained momentum during training.

• In 12 months I lost 20 kg. It was so incredibly motivating.

He even managed to lose another 10 kilos. He ate healthy and exercised regularly.

• I cut back on the amount of food and I started eating a lot more salad.
• Roy has always walked a lot, but running was relatively new to him. He started small.
• In Skien there is a light trail of 5 km where I walked and ran around each other. It was heavy at first, but eventually I ran more than I walked. First I managed one round, then two, etc. It was a great motivation!
• The son eventually received a kidney from another donor, but Roy decided to maintain his new lifestyle.
• After participating in his first 10 km, the 49-year-old decided to run a half marathon the following year. In the autumn of 2018, he was on the starting line for the Oslo Marathon, where he ran for Organ Donation. He experienced enormous mastery, and set himself the goal of running a marathon the following year.
• I have been running for three years now and fortunately have never been injured, says Roy who is sure that a lot is due to gradual progression.
• You must not go out too hard when you start running. Start calmly and build up. Investing in a good heart rate monitor can also be beneficial, as you can constantly monitor that the heart rate does not get too high. I also vary my training, and spin a lot.

September 21 this year was a big day for Roy. He ran a full 42 km for the Organ Donation Foundation

• The atmosphere along the trail was so incredibly uplifting. I was cheered on all the way, and got a lot of nice response. Especially when I ran past the Organ Donation gang! The last 10 km, however, I got cramps in my legs, but I SHOULD have that medal. I reached the finish line, and then I was actually not as tired as I had thought! Maybe it indicates that I am in good shape?

However, my colleagues had imagined that I would have to be picked up in white coats, but the marathon went beyond all expectations!

The joy of training has not spread to his son yet, but Roy wants to maintain his good habits.

• - The changes I have made in terms of exercise and diet have led to my everyday life becoming easier. I am more awake, have more energy and running has become fun! A big motivation is also my son. Suddenly he needs a new kidney, and then it's good to know that I can finally be his spare stock!