For those who’re a MAN v FAT member primarily based within the north west, you would possibly properly have performed a double take while watching this 12 months’s Race In opposition to The World collection on the BBC.
One of many groups featured on this 12 months’s collection – which sees contestants aiming to journey over 12,000km – consists of Harrison Devine and his sister Katie.
Harrison is a protracted standing member of our unbelievable MAN v FAT Warrington group and he and his sister might be travelling throughout Europe and Asia, the most important continental space on earth.
The route carves via eight distinctive nations: Italy, Greece, Türkiye, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia – every bringing its personal language, tradition and local weather.
In essentially the most excessive race to this point, circumstances swing from 30-degree Mediterranean warmth to subarctic temperatures of –20°C. And so they’ve bought to do all of it on a funds of lower than £26 per particular person per day.
Harrison is probably going well-known to MAN v FAT golf equipment within the north, having picked up XIs Participant of the Yr in 2024 attributable to his prolific goalscoring. He additionally featured in our Wonderful Losers recreation at Leyton Orient, having misplaced over 30% of his beginning physique weight on the programme.
With the present at the moment airing on the BBC, we caught up with Harrison to learn the way the story unfolded for him, each with MAN v FAT and on the TV present.
Do you assume your time with MAN v FAT helped put together you for Race Throughout the World?
Sure positively. MAN v FAT has given a lot, not simply when it comes to being bodily fitter, however being mentally stronger and devoted, as properly rising my confidence. While being away on the Race, you must continuously work together with folks and it takes numerous confidence to go up and communicate to strangers figuring out that there’s going to be a language barrier or that they may not have the option that will help you.
MAN v FAT instils a way of self esteem again into you as you’re employed arduous to really feel higher about your self, extra snug in your personal pores and skin and that provides you extra confidence to go and communicate to folks and never fear about what they might consider you.
Have been there moments within the race the place your health journey gave you a bonus?
I’d prefer to assume we deliberate properly sufficient that we by no means caught having to run for a prepare or bus, however the Race itself is an 8-week journey, so it continuously checks you bodily. I imply, you’re carrying round a 20kg rucksack more often than not, so it’s a superb job I’ve misplaced 45kg within the first place in any other case my knees would have been in a world of bother!
Did your MAN v FAT expertise affect the way you dealt with challenges or setbacks?
Weight reduction usually isn’t a relentless linear development. You’ve got your ups and downs, and as males who clearly love that additional little bit of foods and drinks, it’s troublesome to not let one or two unhealthy weeks change into one or two unhealthy months. I personally discover it very straightforward to say after a foul weekend calorie clever, ah sod it, I’ll have already put weight on, so I’ll double down and never get again on the well being kick till the following weigh in, however you study that’s not the perspective to have.
You must perceive that there might be setbacks however look to a extra long-term view whereby one unhealthy day of energy doesn’t have an effect on your week or month. That was fairly much like the Race, sure one or two issues can go unhealthy on a leg of racing, however so long as you do most issues proper (Discover low-cost lodging, don’t blow the funds on costly meals and drinks, don’t miss your transport) then general try to be in a superb place!
MAN v FAT has modified my life. It has modified who I’m as an individual, my pursuits, my hobbies, my friendships, and my way of life. It’s a group I’m extremely proud and honoured to be part of because it’s not simply your personal story, it’s everybody else round you that’s equally as inspiring.
So to symbolize MAN v FAT on nationwide TV means rather a lot to me. I’m hoping it spreads the phrase in order that different males who had been in my scenario hear about MAN v FAT and provides themselves the chance to alter their very own lives by signing as much as it.
I say this to everybody, apply for the present and see what occurs. It’s one of the best factor I’ve ever performed… and doubtless will ever do. I battle to place into phrases how cool the entire expertise was.
How do you hope your story will influence others who could also be combating their weight or confidence?
When signing as much as Race Throughout the World, one in all my largest hopes was that my story would have the ability to attain a wider viewers and assist different males shed pounds and improve their confidence.
I really feel a completely totally different particular person from the person I used to be 3 or 4 years in the past after I joined MAN v FAT. Attending to a weight and confidence stage the place you now not sit in public readjusting your t-shirt each few seconds, or not eager to eat at a buddy’s BBQ for concern of judgement, is such a surreal feeling for us males who’ve all the time felt that means, and it’s genuinely liberating.
I joined MAN v FAT with the intention of simply eager to play soccer once more. I had all the time been a much bigger lad and by no means knew it was doable for me to be something totally different. I then began to lose a bit little bit of weight and have become in a short time encapsulated by it and getting fitter. For any males studying this who assume they’ll by no means shed pounds and that you simply had been born to be massive, that was me earlier than MAN v FAT. Simply give it a go and see how far you may push your self.
Are there any new objectives or challenges you’ll be setting your self?
I’m all the time trying to enroll to new occasions and challenges. I lately ran my first Marathon in April 2026 so perhaps trying to do one other a kind of, however I’d prefer to see if there’s a means I can mix my new love of journey with health as properly. Possibly a 10km run in each nation in Europe… one thing daft like that!
