Mirna Valerio is a “fat girl” who runs.

“Some people think that’s revolutionary. I’m here to say that it’s not,” says 240-lb. distance athlete who is quickly transforming the terrain of body acceptance by miles via her Fat Girl Running blog.

“This is my whole reason for existing - you see, fat people can do things too!”

Just like Whitney Thore, star of TLC'S My Big Fat Fabulous Life who is a dancer and who happens to be big, Valerio is proud of her body and what it can do. No apologies. No shame. She leaves doubters in the dust. “I love my body and I’m going to use it… I’ve got

races to run, places to travel to,” says the mother one who blogs about her trials and miles of running with a “no bullsh - attitude towards exercise, health, and overall fitness.”

She’s right about that: “Look in the mirror again and admire yourself for being a badass fat runner,” blogs Valerio, who’s one baddass runner herself, along with being a Spanish teacher, a choir director and head coach for cross country at a prep school in Georgia.

The 40-year-old ultramarathoner, marathoner and trail runner has no trouble going the distance – 100km races, in fact. She loves running and busting through the notion that in order to be an athlete, or healthy, you must be thin. “I love the challenge of challenging people’s preconceived notions.”

Accolades generally greet her and the occasional “raised eyebrows” too, she says. “Trail events for most people conjure up images of super-lean, very low body fat white men and women running through the woods. I am an anomaly in all senses of the word. I am not white and I’m definitely not super lean.”

Some people are simply “unwilling to believe that someone of my stature and size can do what they do.” Well, believe it! She’s slow but steady - an 11-to-13 minute mile pace. At her heaviest at over 300 lbs., she was doing multiple 5-km runs a week. Now her goal to

get better at her current distances - 26.2M, 50K, and 100K – so that she can try for a 100 miler.

No matter how much she runs, she remains obese. “I used to be morbidly obese. Now I’m healthy and my weight hovers around 240,” says Valerio, who’s made peace with her weight and living large in a thin world. She feels strong, powerful and able to conquer most things. “It is my job to be a positive role model for my son, my family members and my students,” adds Valerio, who launched her blog in 2011, the same year she did her first marathon.

Pushing physical and mental boundaries is her passion. “I believe in myself and in others, and I hope that I can encourage many others to join this incredible sport in the name of health, fitness, happiness and longevity.”