FOX CITIES, Wis. (WFRV) - An Appleton man turned his passion for running into a reason for him to stay sober.

Appleton resident Tate Whitlinger said that after overcoming a 20+ year battle with alcohol and drug addiction, one of the first things he did was go for a run.

"I decided to go run for one mile, that run was life changing for me," he told Local 5 News. "It was horrible, I wanted to quit but I kept going and it kind of changed me."

Since that first run he's gone on many more, finishing several marathons and ultra marathons. Most importantly, he said he's been sober since Jan. 20, 2016.

"Running has brought me so much joy and it has helped me in my sobriety so much," he said. "Once you get sober and stay sober you can pretty much do whatever you want to do, it's a very powerful

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