Tulsa-Area First Responders Meet 25-Week Fitness Challenge

Several hundred Tulsa-area first responders are a lot more fit thanks to a specialized program. Nearly 500 Tulsa-area police, firefighters and EMS workers participated in Fit First Responders, a 25-week challenge.  

Most of the participants lost more than 50 pounds.

Being a first responder is a grueling job, and the people who do are some of America's finest. But now  they are taking that working spirit and applying it to their own lives in a different way. 

"Tulsa is winning here," said Coach JC, founder of the program. "We now know we have 500 first responders on the streets that are more equipped and prepared mentally and physically."

The goal of the program is to give Tulsa's finest the tools to be mentally and physically prepared for the work they perform day to day in keeping the public safe. The person who made the biggest overall physical transformation won a new pickup.

That person was Major Mike Reed, Sapulpa Police.

"Law enforcement - they tend to have a lot of cardiac problems as they get older, and I'm kind of in that stage now," Reed said. "I'm 50 years old. I've been in law enforcement for 28 years."

That grueling 25 weeks of training culminated in Sunday's graduation ceremony. Everyone was recognized, but a few stepped away with a cash prize. Reed received the brand new 2017 Chevy Silverado donated by the Jim Glover Auto Family.

"Realistically I didn't think I had a chance to be in first place out of almost 500 people," Sapulpa Police Major Mike Reed said. 

Major Reed lost 60 pounds. The health issues he started with are gone, and he now has the energy to even better serve the community."
 
This is only the second year for the Fit First Responders program.

At the start of this fitness journey, participants took before pictures to compare later. Every day they've been required to working out, following a nutrition plan and even mindset training.

10/31/2017 Related Story: Tulsa's First Responders Get 'Fit' In 25-Week Challenge

"What's life like being hero on the streets. A lot of times we don't realize they see so much and sometimes it's hard to cope," said Coach J.C. 

"So the mental conditioning and the emotional break through a and stories are just as important. So it's not a biggest loser challenge. It's a transformation challenge."

This program is largely sponsored by donors. Fit First Responders plans to start an Oklahoma city chapter this summer.