Jelly Roll Finishes His First 5K Race: “I Left Here Feeling Really Motivated”

Back in January, we first caught wind that country singer Jelly Roll was training to run his first 5K—and now it looks like the country rap superstar’s training has paid off.

On Tuesday, the singer crossed the finish line in the 2 Bears 5K in Los Angeles, hosted by comedians Tom Segura and Bert Kreischer, held as part of the Netflix Is A Joke comedy festival. The race was untimed.

Since his announcement in January, Jelly Roll says he lost between another 50 and 70 pounds on top of the nearly 200 he had shed in the previous couple of years.

Jelly Roll, real name Jason Bradley DeFord, spoke about his feelings as he neared the race’s finish line.

“I couldn’t walk a mile when I started trying to do this back in January,” the singer told Entertainment Tonight. “So the fact that we got three-point-whatever it was done today, I feel really, really good about it. I left here feeling really motivated.”

He also spoke about the challenges the 3.1-mile race presented him. “I feel great, man. I’m a little tired,” he said. “A little bit harder than I thought it was, but it’s awesome, man.”

DeFord said one of the most fulfilling parts of the race day was seeing other people who had been motivated by his fitness journey finish the race.

“I think the coolest thing is how many people stopped to tell us that they were motivated by us, other big guys,” he said. “It was just really cool to see—what an eclectic group of people. There was a man running in a bear suit.”

After the race, DeFord said he and shared a special moment.

“I’m surrounded by friends and family, me and [Kreischer] shared a real tear together coming through the finish line,” he told the Today Show.

Of course, this means Jelly Roll has officially been bit by the racing bug, so he doesn’t see this as the final finish line.

“Next year, half marathon. We’re saying it right now”, he said. “I’m going to speak for them—we’re gonna do the 2 Bears 5K again, but we’re going to do a half marathon before.”

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