Local prostate cancer survivor prepares for Gary Papa Run

If you're looking for some fitness motivation, one easy thing you can do is sign up to participate in a local race or competition.

A great event to get involved in is the 13th annual Father's Day Gary Papa Run on June 21.

Participating in this race means you're supporting a great cause - raising awareness about prostate cancer.

Paul Muller has a busy schedule overseeing 3 Toyota dealerships, business ventures with his 4 sons - and being there for a very active family!

"Half my day is spent trying to figure out where my grand kids are playing soccer, and little league, and hockey," says Muller.

Being borderline diabetic and with a family history of the disease, Muller gets frequent blood tests.

Several of those tests showed that his levels of PSA - a protein that can signal prostate cancer - were climbing.

"From 1-something, then to 3, then 6. And then we just decided to do the biopsy," he said.

Muller indeed had prostate cancer, but at a very early stage.

"I had some options. One is do nothing. One is radiation, which took forever and I have the patience of a 3-year-old, so I didn't want to deal with that," he said.

Instead Muller chose surgery. It took some weeks to get his full energy back, but he's now feeling great.

Plus, he's dropped some weight and brought his blood sugar down.

"This is the thinnest I've been since I was 18," said Muller.

He's now helping to spread the word for other men to take charge of their prostate health.

You may have even seen him recently here on 6abc in a public service announcement for the annual Father's Day Gary Papa Run.

"It's so preventable, I mean, it's something you can do something about," said Muller.

Over the past 13 years, the Gary Papa Run has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to support prostate screenings for men.

The race is June 21st at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and there are several runs to choose from including a 10k, 5k run, 5k walk or a 1 mile fun walk.

The Muller family will be out there along with many from 6abc Action News.

If you want to register for the Gary Papa Run or donate to help prostate cancer research, visit: https://www.garypaparun.com/