What happens when you catalyze serendipity with the power of a lucky penny? Two amazing people meet by chance at a wedding. It’s the kind of story that makes you realize the world isn’t that big after all and it affirms your hope that things happen for a reason…It is the beginning of Katie and Justin’s story.

Katie almost missed the wedding where she and Justin first met. But as chance would have it, she made it to the wedding and Justin says he is certain that he knows why.

“Earlier that day I found a lucky penny and stuck it in my pocket,” said Justin. “My friend’s wife said ‘maybe you’ll meet a girl tonight at the wedding.’”

And that is exactly what happened. Justin met Katie when he noticed that she didn’t want the cherry in her drink, so he asked her if he could have it and they have been together with perpetual smiles ever since. They literally smile all the time and their happiness is so powerfully contagious that you find yourself smiling too; I guess you could say the muscles in their faces have quite a bit of endurance training as well.

Before they met, Katie and Justin never dreamed of being able to run endurance races. After moving from Iowa to the Seattle area in September of 2011 they decided that they wanted to appreciate all that their new landscape has to offer. So they got serious about living an active lifestyle and enlisted the help of personal trainer Jimmy Sagnis to assist them in achieving not just one goal, but several goals.

Katie and Justin have multiple goals that intertwine and complement each other. They want to run faster and further, lose inches off of their waists, drop clothing sizes and lose weight. It sounds like a lot, but the rationale behind their plan is pretty ingenious. Running helps them lose weight, and losing weight makes it easier on their bodies when they run. Training in the gym helps their core balance and stability for running. Being fit gives them more energy, their results give them motivation to work harder and their active lifestyle allows them to do more and so on; it is a cycle of symbiotic fitness goals.

They credit having a workout partner as playing a large role in staying motivated as well, and they find that their weaknesses and strengths harmonize with each other.

“Sometimes after my commute I get a little unmotivated and Justin is like ‘Ready for gym? Let’s go!’ I don’t think that I would go on my own on those days.” said Katie. “It makes going to the gym a lot more fun since it is more social during our warm up. We talk about our days, and after our workouts we discuss how hard training was that day or how good the other person did.”

And Katie helps Justin with his weakness…food.

“I’m good at planning out meals and making healthy alternatives,” said Katie. “So that’s helped Justin, since it’s been a downfall for him in the past.”

After losing weight, inches, body fat and finishing their first 5K last year, Katie and Justin are now training for their first half-marathon and accomplishing amazing fitness and weight loss results along the way.

So just how well is their personal training, endurance conditioning and the buddy-system working for them?

Check out their results since training with Jimmy beginning September of 2011:

Katie’s Before Measurements (September 2011):

Weight: 203

Chest:  41.25 inches

Waist:  37.5 inches

Hips:  46.25 inches

Katie’s Current Measurements (May 2012):

Weight:  180 pounds

Chest:  37.75 inches

Waist:  34 inches

Hips:  42.5 inches

Justin’s Before Measurements (September 2011):

Weight:  227 pounds

Chest:  44.25 inches

Waist:  47.75 inches

Hips:  45.5 inches

Justin’s Current Measurements (May 2012):

Weight: 186 pounds

Chest:  38 inches

Waist:  38 inches

Hips:  37 inches