Mike Wiant, of Copley, holds the Wellness Champion Award he received from Akron General Medical Center for his efforts to help others improve their health.

Photo: Ken Crisafi

“I challenged about 20 people this year to do a triathlon, and almost all of them thought, ‘There’s no way; it’s crazy,’” he said. “I try to push them and show them they can do it.”

Now the Copley resident has been honored as the gold level individual winner of the 2008 Akron General Medical Center’s Wellness Champion Award, which honors leaders who have made impressive strides toward improving personal health or the health of employees.

Wiant, 37, was nominated by Steve Catalano, of Copley, who has worked out with Wiant during the past year in an effort to shed some pounds.

In his nomination of Wiant, Catalano said Wiant has made a big impact in his life.

“Instead of focusing on himself, Mike is constantly trying to help others in their faith and fitness,” Catalano wrote. “Mike believes he has a purpose in life to encourage others to live a better, healthier life.”

Catalano said Wiant was a friend of a friend who called him because he had heard he wanted help getting in shape. Wiant invited him to join him in his daily 5:30 a.m. workouts. The two started in October 2007, and Catalano lost 25 pounds and also trained to take part in a triathlon this year.

“I never thought I could accomplish something like this,” Catalano wrote.

Despite what Catalano said he has gotten out of the relationship, Wiant stresses it’s not one-sided.

“I learn from him and he holds me accountable,” Wiant said. “I always need someone around me like that.”

Wiant, a native of Buffalo, N.Y., wasn’t always athletic.

“As a kid in high school, athletics weren’t fun because I was small,” he said. “I literally hit puberty in college and I grew up.”

While at Kent State University, Wiant went through periods of being into working out and then quitting. One day he decided that had to stop and he made a commitment to make exercise and a healthy diet part of his life.

After earning his degree in sociology, Wiant lived in South America and Los Angeles. A friend in the Akron area encouraged him to come back to the area and join him in real estate. Today he works for ASW Properties on the Spicer Village development near The University of Akron.

About six years ago, Wiant, who had been an avid weightlifter, decided to focus more on cardiovascular exercise. He decided to train for a triathlon — for which he would have to swim, bike and run.

“It was a challenge because I didn’t swim much, but I overcame that,” he said.

He has since completed several events locally and around the country.

Since beginning to compete, Wiant has discovered he likes encouraging others just as much as he does competing. He said he doesn’t know how many people he has helped over the past few years.

“Sometimes it’s just an e-mail or a call from a friend,” he said. “I really feel God created me to be an encourager, a motivator. There’s something about the joy of pushing people.”

He was thrilled to find out about his recent award, he said, because he feels it fits him to a “T.”

“When I saw what the award and recognition was for, I said, ‘This is me,’” he said. “The purpose is to recognize individuals and give them a push to keep doing what they are doing.”

He also appreciates the cash prize of $3,000, which he plans to use to help others pay entry fees for triathlons or other sporting events.

Wiant and his wife, Kristi, are the parents of two children. He said he is trying to work family into his workouts as much as possible by using a jogging stroller or pulling the children behind his bike.

While helping people improve their health is a passion of his, Wiant isn’t sure he wants to make it his profession. But he doesn’t rule out doing that in the future.

“I’m letting God lead the way,” he said. “If it is right, I’ll just go with it.”

Wiant would like to help others attain personal health and fitness goals. He can be reached at (330) 936-2276 or thewiants@hotmail.com.