Million Calorie March: The Movie

Formerly 397 lbs, Marino had lost over 110 pounds between 2001 and 2003 largely by dieting, exercise and researching the obesity epidemic. Through his research as well as his own struggles with weight loss and food addiction, Marino became passionate about achieving health and wellness at any weight and wanted to make a contribution to the cause. He formed the non-profit organization Generation Excel in 2004 and created the Million Calorie March, the awareness campaign and fundraiser that became the film of the same name. The Million Calorie March was designed to be interactive with other walkers, wellness groups and media representatives, who were invited to join the walk at any point along the route. Marino also raised money by asking for pledges at each stop in his journey up the eastern seaboard.

The Million Calorie March kicked off live on national television from Jacksonville, Florida. ABC’s Live with Regis and Kelly broadcast the kickoff in front of an estimated audience of 10 million people. The TV show covered the March again live on remote broadcast from the Washington Mall in D.C. on June 15, 2004, as well as the March crew’s arrival in Manhattan on June 24, 2004. Other media, including Fox News Channel, CBS radio, USA Today, People Magazine as well as local and state-wide media also covered the event.

Marino launched a career as a motivational speaker in early 2005, donating all of his fees and book sales to the non-profit foundation, Generation Excel. Additionally he formed a running team to train for the 109th Boston Marathon with pledges also going to Generation Excel. “My goal is to simply complete this because the winner will be shaved, showered, have his check cashed and be on the plane back to Kenya by the time we hit the finish line,” Marino told Fox 25 Morning News the morning of the race. He completed the 42.195-kilometre (26.219 mi) race in 6 hours and 30 minutes.

Marino also formed a business relationship with Psychologist and Wellness expert Dr. Howard Rankin. The pair recorded a radio pilot called The Shrink & The Shrunk and began making appearances together at seminars, conferences and health tours across the country.

One year after the Million Calorie March concluded, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North-eastern Pennsylvania asked Marino to serve as spokesman and producer for a two-year awareness campaign aimed at inspiring Pennsylvania's residents to lose weight and adopt a healthier lifestyle. The Million Pound Meltdown reunited most of the original road team from the Million Calorie March.

With obesity statistics running dangerously high in Pennsylvania, the “Meltdown” kicked off with a three-week tour of the area by Marino and his team including radio, print and TV stops. Walking through all 13 counties in Pennsylvania, Marino and his crew made three campaign stops per day speaking to audiences and leading walks around the anti-obesity theme.

Throughout the “Meltdown”, Marino also hosted his own weekly TV segment called “Gary Weighs In” which aired on WBRE-TV (NBC affiliate) and WYOU (CBS affiliate).

The “Meltdown” wrapped up at the end of 2006 with over 52,000 pounds lost by Pennsylvanians. The Meltdown participant's Primary care physicians confirmed the weight loss as part of the weight loss contest held in conjunction with the campaign.

The following year Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) joined forces with Marino and Generation Excel to launch a healthy lifestyle and exercise campaign called the “Million Step March”. The “Million Step March” was designed to focus on encouraging walking and fitness as opposed to weight loss. Marino and BCBSNC Vice President Kathy Higgins kicked off the campaign April 1, 2008 in Asheville, North Carolina. Promoted as a “mountains to the coast” state-wide campaign, the “Million Step March” moved 12 –15 miles per day through eight media markets including Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Durham, Greenville, Fayetteville and ending in coastal Wilmington. Marino and Higgins appeared at nearly 60 live events during the 75-day walk. Over 800 people turned out for the ½ point “Rally In Raleigh” event and 600 showed up to cheer the walkers at the finish line event in Wilmington's Riverfront Park . Over all, more than 6400 walkers joined the Million Step March walking over half a billion steps.

In early 2009 Marino again joined forces with Dr. Howard Rankin to launch the “Inspiring Wellness Campaign”, in Hilton Head, South Carolina. This was a free community-wide effort offering eight weeks of free health and wellness seminars, film screenings and beach walks.