Ben does inspiration

By Meredith Hines-Dochterman/The Gazette

Are you happy?

Ben Davis went to bed Christmas Eve 2008 with his grandmother's question haunting him. He told her yes, but the dark of the night couldn't hide the truth.

Weighing 358 pounds, Davis wasn't happy. A student at the University of Central Arkansas, Davis spent most of his days playing video games. He ate poorly and didn't exercise.

Davis launched his popular blog - Ben Does Life - that night. He presented the URL to his grandmother Christmas morning with a promise to lose weight. The blog would hold him accountable to his promise of eating better and exercising.

Twelve grueling months later, and 120 pounds lighter, Davis posed for a picture with his grandmother, a triumphant smile lighting his face.

He did it.

Davis' story could have stopped there. He met his goal. He had the treasured before-and-after pictures to prove it, but Davis wasn't done. He continued to challenge himself, running marathons and completing two Ironman triathlons with his brother, Jed Davis, and father, Jon Davis, sharing every step of his journey on his blog. He eventually posted a YouTube video about his weight loss that, to date, has been viewed more than

1.6 million times.

The response from his readers and viewers inspired Davis to expand his personal mantra

- Do Life - into The Do Life Movement. Traveling the country, Davis, 26, speaks to groups large and small about dieting, running and “doing life.” Davis uses twitter, Tumblr and Facebook to promote his appearances, scheduling a 5K meet-up when time allows for it.

These casual run-and-fun meet-ups were the inspiration for the biggest part of the movement.

“Our goal with the Do Life Movement is to get people outside and running, but more importantly: get people outside and running together,” Davis says. “Last year, we were trying to figure out the best way to do that and the idea of a cross-country tour blossomed. A few months later we did it, and it was a summer we'll never forget.”

The summer of 2011 was the first Do Life 5K Tour. Davis visited 32 cities in 40 days, leading a 5K in each city.

More than 1,500 people participated in the events, many who shared stories of their own weight-loss journeys. The success was so great, Davis says it had to continue.

“We really love the idea of sharing miles with people,” he says. “We all have struggles in life, whatever they might be, and if we get out there together - together with like-minded individuals - we get inspired and renewed. We meet people who are struggling with the same things as we are or who have struggled with them in the past and it becomes easier to recommit.”

The second Do Life 5K Tour kicks off May 26 in St. Louis, Mo. The tour's third stop is Cedar Rapids. Davis and his father will be at Sokol Park, at the corner of 14th Avenue SE and A Street SW, on at

6:30 p.m. on May 28.

“The tour is a very informal affair,” Davis says. “We really preach the idea of, that no matter your fitness level, come out and be there. It's a running tour that's not about running. We walk, jog, bike, Rollerblade, whatever we need to. After the 5K, we all go out to dinner and hang out for an hour or two.”

Davis now lives in Canada with his fiance, Brooke Hanna, whom he met at a 5K meet-up in Chicago. He has appeared on “The Today Show” and was featured on the December 2011 cover of Runner's World.

Davis recently finished writing his first book, to be released in January. Describing it as a combination of his story and a beginner's guide to running, Davis spent the last six months sitting in coffee shops writing. Now he's ready to hit the ground running - literally.

Davis attended the 35th Annual Lincoln National Guard Marathon and Half-Marathon earlier this month to man the Do Life booth at the event's expo. He ended up running the marathon - his eighth - instead. The credit for his impromptu decision goes to a Ben Does Life reader who was running in the event as her first marathon. The reader talked him into it.

“I think the best part about the whole thing is the friendships I've forged through the various communities,” Davis says. “It's been an amazing few years and I'm very fortunate to have done the things I've done.”

More

• What: Do Life 5K Tour in Cedar Rapids
• When: 6:30 p.m. May 28
• Where: Sokol Park, corner of 14th Avenue SE and A Street SW
• On the Net: http://bendoeslife.tumblr.com/
• YouTube: My 120 pound journey