About two years ago, while standing in line at the bank, Honolulu tile setter Kevin Chang accidentally dropped some change and knew, with his bulky, 40-inch waistline and 275 pounds of weight, that it would be difficult to bend over and pick it up.

Rather than embarrass himself with the effort, he used his foot to slide the change toward a little girl standing behind him and told her to keep it.

But looking at him today, you would never guess the 52-year-old Chang would have ever had trouble with such a simple task. The 5-foot-9 Kaimuki resident has become a long-distance runner and trimmed down to 175 pounds.

His slimmer, 30-inch waistline looks so different that one of his cousins failed to recognize him when they bumped into each other at Longs Drugs.

He’s even run a marathon. In December he completed the Honolulu Marathon in 4 hours, 38 minutes, placing him in the top 15 percent among the race’s 25,000 runners. That’s not bad, considering it was his first marathon.

“My mind told me I wanted to do it in four hours,” he said. “It was amazing. I felt good all the way.”

The bank incident was the catalyst for Chang, who resolved to lose weight, and by running he lost 100 pounds.

“I love it,” he said. “It’s my peace, my meditation time. Whatever’s going on in my life, I run and just forget about everything and find myself in this zone, this inner peace. It’s a form of meditation to me.”

When he first started running, Chang could barely jog two blocks in his neighborhood. He went at night so others couldn’t see him.

“I was ashamed of how big I was,” he said. “I didn’t want my neighbors to see me running.”

He would start jogging, get out of breath after a few minutes and then stop. A friend gave him this advice: “No matter how tired you get, don’t stop. Just run slower.”

Chang kept at it, eventually managing to jog 1 mile, and then 2. He kept going.

“I noticed myself feeling better, and people were telling me, ‘Eh, you look good. You look better,’” he said. “Then I found that when I run I just get into this zone. That kept me going.”

Now Chang’s routine is a 6-mile run from his home in Kaimuki to Diamond Head every morning, Monday through Friday, with at least one uphill stretch. On weekends he looks forward to a longer run of 10 miles. He also hits the gym daily.

He likes marathons because they give him a goal. In May he’s ready to take on a bigger challenge by doing the Armstrong Redwoods Trail Run 50-kilometer race in California. One day he hopes to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

Chang’s lifestyle today is drastically different from what it was a decade ago, when he was a smoker and heavy drinker.

In 2008, he was determined to turn his health around after his doctor warned he would have to start taking cholesterol medication in addition to the high blood pressure pills he already took. He decided to quit smoking and then drinking, too.

“I figured if I’m going to do one, I may as well do both,” he said.

But food became a replacement, and he packed on 30 pounds, eventually tipping the scale at more than 250 pounds.

It was a time when he indulged in huge plate lunches and ice cream, candy and pastries. Breakfast was often loco moco or eggs, Spam and rice. Dinner was also a big meal, whether it be steak or roast pork. He could drink a 12-pack of coke a night.

Chang remembers trying workout videos and other gimmicks, but none worked. He credits friends for giving him the encouragement he needed to start jogging. The Internet has been his other resource for running tips and advice.

Chang’s two 20-something sons think he’s a bit crazy, but they are also glad to see him healthy. His doctor is pleased, and said he’s added 20 more years to his life.

Chang says it’s never too late to change.

“I thought I was too old to change, but you’re never too old,” he said. “I think I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in my life.”

And he wants to keep it that way. Sometimes he sees larger guys out running and wants to tell them, “Don’t give up. Just keep going.”