“Fat Man” Eyes World Record in LA Marathon

The 405-pound sumo wrestler hopes to become the heaviest person to finish a marathon Sunday.

Sumo wrestler Kelly Gneiting, who calls himself the Fat Man, has always had big dreams.

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Gneiting stands six feet even and wrestled in college at 200 pounds, so he hasn't always been too big of a guy. But some years, a couple hundred pounds and three U.S. sumo wrestling championships later, the Fat Man has his eye on an unexpected goal.

On Sunday, Gneiting hopes to become the heaviest man to ever finish a marathon, and the Guinness World Record folks will be on hand to see if he does.

While he finished the 2008 LA Marathon in 12 hours, he hadn't considered going for the world record. This time, he'll weigh himself just before the race, provide photographic evidence of his journey and provide the Guinness folks with proof he finished the race.

He'll then be a world record holder, and he has no doubt he can do it.

"I honestly think I'm one of the best athletes in the world," he told the Los Angeles Times.

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Should he meet his goal on Sunday, Gneiting has a few other things on his to-do list: playing for the Philadelphia Eagles, hiking from the Dead Sea to Mount Everest and swimming the English Channel.

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