Arts Educator Who Weighed 495 Lbs. Is Running the Chicago Marathon to Inspire Students: 'I Feel Invincible’ (Exclusive)

César Torruella, executive director of arts education at Chicago Public Schools, became a runner after losing more than 300 lbs.

César Torruella signed up for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon while parked outside his gym.

The 35-year-old music educator — who started running about two years ago — never expected to run a marathon. In fact, for most of his life, he could not run at all.

As a child in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Torruella wore size 36 pants by the time he was in elementary school. He often retreated to the choir room for “a safe space away from my bullies."

He grew up to be a professional opera singer and moved to Houston, Texas, in 2012. But he always had teaching in mind, hoping to provide young people with high-quality access to the arts, particularly "those students furthest from opportunity."

The bullying Torruella suffered at school for both his weight and his sexual orientation also inspired his career move to education. "It's why I do the work that I do," he says. "I want to make sure safe spaces are provided to all students."

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Although he had struggled with his weight all his life due to unhealthy habits and lack of nutrition knowledge, Torruella says it got worse when his anxiety ramped up around the time he moved to the U.S., and also came out as gay to his conservative family in Puerto Rico. While they were accepting and supportive, other life stressors led Torruella to reach 495 lbs. by the time he was 29.

The health risks became more real in 2021 after an eye exam. Over several medical appointments, he was told that his worsening eyesight was linked to his weight. He was diagnosed with prediabetes and hypertension.

“That’s not how I wanted to live my life,” Torruella says.

So in June 2021, Torruella underwent a sleeve gastrectomy. The procedure, plus diet and lifestyle changes that included running, enabled him to lose 305 lbs.

Last year, Torruella watched the Chicago Marathon from afar. The executive director of arts education at Chicago Public Schools was inspired to lace up his running shoes for the 2024 race in honor of his new healthy lifestyle — and his students.

He applied to Team TCS Teachers, and was one of 97 educators selected from over 1,000 applicants to receive free entry into marathons sponsored by the IT firm Tata Consultancy Services.

In his application, he said that "perseverance, practice and no opt-out" apply to his running — and teaching.

He can't wait to run on Sunday, Oct. 13. Smiling over a recent video chat interview, he lists the reasons he is running. “Because now I can. Because before I wasn’t able to. Never in my life could I have imagined being able to run and breathe — and sing my favorite songs — at the same time.”

"I want to do this, I need to do this!" he says, adding, "I am pushing myself — body and mind — to do something incredible."

Related: This College Student Lost 184 Lbs. and Just Completed the Chicago Marathon

Although he is still paying off the loan he took out to pay for the gastric procedure — which was not covered by insurance — he does not regret the decision.

“It’s a monthly reminder that I need to stay the course," he says. "I made an investment in myself — and there is still work to do."

Torruella draws a parallel between the preparation and recovery from his procedure to his marathon workouts, which are both about “training my brain to this new adjustment.”

Running a marathon is more than just endurance, he says. "The mental training to be able to go into it, to be able to sustain yourself for 4, 5, 6, 7 hours without stopping, it gives me a boost in my confidence and I feel invincible when I finish my daily training.”

He hopes to pass on this persistence and dedication to his students. “Black and Brown students can see themselves in me," he says. "They can see it is possible to get out of the things that you’re not so proud to be a part of," he explains, referring to his former weight struggles.

"There is an opportunity for everyone," he adds. With his encouragement, he hopes his students will “flourish and really think about who they want to be and become who they want to be.”

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Torruella's running routine also helped him “organize my life and my week” and to curb triggers that previously led to overeating. To reduce the stress of figuring out food on the go, he prepares high-protein meals ahead of time to know what he will be eating and when.

He also has an extensive training playlist, listening to “everything,” while running, he says, from classical music to Beyoncé and Lady Gaga. “It’s easy for me to escape and get into the zone,” he says, but says on race day he may go without headphones. "There is a lot of music on the course, and the neighborhoods even put on shows and parties. I want to be present in the moment."

Running the Chicago Marathon — and undergoing a skin removal surgery, slated for the week after the race – is “closing the loop, a chapter of my life. The race to him, is a "victory lap."

“I made decisions in life that led me to this moment, and that was intentional — that did not just happen. I planned for this and set goals for this to happen,” he says.

He hopes this message reaches his 320,000 students. "The only person that can determine what you're capable of accomplishing in life is yourself.”

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