Reality Rally

Today’s “Up Close and Personal” interview features Pamela Geil, an executive assistant for an insurance company and a former contestant on the 14^th season of The Biggest Loser! She lives in New York City, and—though she would have never dreamed this before The Biggest Loser--is absolutely passionate about running.

Her love for running was born from her involvement with the show, a journey that has given her a new perspective on life and made her a part of our Reality Rally family.

“When I was on the show, one of our first challenges was a 5k, so in a year I went from never having run in my life, to running a 5k and then a full marathon,” she said.

In 2013, she ran the New York City marathon, but injured her hip. For two years, she was unable to do what she loves. But now, after a hip surgery, Geil is back on her feet and raring to go.

“That was one of the great things that the show gave me, was a love for running,” she said.

Describing the season she appeared on, Geil explained: “The season I was on, for the first time and the only time, we had three kids as well. So the focus on our season was on childhood obesity. There were fifteen of us, and we were individual, we weren’t on teams. I had Jillian Michaels as a trainer. She was something else! She was hard! It was rough having her as a trainer, but she’s been very successful. She’s the one who got me into running and I will be eternally grateful to her for that.”

For Geil, the hardest part about being on The Biggest Loser was severing contact with her family. At the time, her now-18-year-old daughter was 15, and per the TV show’s rules, Geil could not have any contact with the outside world.

“The hardest part of that for me was to be away from her. But I think that’s what kept me going. When I was tired and thinking, ‘How am I going to get to another workout?’ I just kept thinking ‘I’m sacrificing time with my family to be here, and I really need to make the most of it and focus on myself.’ And I think that’s what’s wonderful about being on the Ranch, is you’re forced to focus on yourself because you can’t get the calls from home. I think a lot of these people put themselves last and the show forces you to put yourself first. Especially single mothers, you put your children first and you never get time for yourself. It gives you the time to focus on getting yourself healthy and learning, because if you’re not healthy, your family can’t be healthy.”

For men and women who are striving to lose weight, but might not have the opportunity to be on The Biggest Loser, Geil has this advice: “Honestly I think the biggest fallback overweight people have is not believing in themselves and thinking they can’t do it. I never in a million years thought that I would be able to run for five hours. The thought of running for one minute on a treadmill was frightening to me. I think that one of the best things you can do is just get moving, get out there, and get out of the way of your own self. I think the biggest problem is the feeling that you can’t do it, and you’d be surprised what you can do when your mind out of the way.”

Geil’s desire to inspire others has led her to get involved in local and national charity work, including marathons. She recently helped out at a Biggest Loser Walk/Run on the East Coast.

“It’s a passion of mine to get people out there and moving,” she said.

When Geil first heard about Reality Rally, she was excited to get involved. She has attended for the past two years.

“I just think it’s such a wonderful event. First of all, I have never seen a woman more driven than Gillian. It’s amazing how in her heart and soul she lives and breathes this event, It’s a great event. I’ve met some wonderful friends, from Hell’s Kitchen to Big Brother. It’s a great weekend. And I’ve never been more touched by a family or place than by Michelle’s Place. The first time we went, I just wept like a baby. Everyone gives such a wonderful feeling of love. When you see this stuff you just see how lucky you are and how you can give back,” she said.

Geil raises money for Reality Rally through social media posts and also by collecting spare change in a pink vase at work.

“Everybody puts their loose change in and you’d be surprised how fast that adds up,” she said. “I’ve always believed in giving back and now I have much more of a platform and opportunity to do it and I’m grateful.”

Geil hopes to orchestrate more events to raise funds, possibly even a guest bartending event in New York.

Geil looks forward to attending Reality Rally 2016. And we look forward to seeing her! Thank you, Pamela, for your dedication and involvement. See you soon!

-Taryn Murphy