Running to Lose Weight and Gain Friends

"When my girlfriends—all runners—heard I wanted to do a 12K, they were shocked. The farthest I had ever run was from the house to the car in the rain!? says Nikki Deckon, 34, of Wilsonville, Oregon.

?But after two babies, my stomach looked like a second butt. They helped me train and did the race with me. Without them, I never would?ve made it. We still run together, too.?