By Stan Beall
The Star Herald
KOSCIUSKO —
Running 13.1 miles is something many people could never see themselves doing – for fun, but for Kosciusko High School junior Eddie Plunkett, that’s exactly what he did.
Plunkett, a twin to Charlie who is a junior goalie for the Whippet soccer team, ran in the Mississippi Blues Half-Marathon on January 5, and finished 423 out of 1345 participants with a time of 2:08:07.
That’s an average of just over nine minutes per mile for 13 miles.
Plunkett said he wore out a pair of shoes training for the marathon and had never tried to run over 10 miles while he was getting ready for the race.
Being a member of the Whippet track team gave him an idea on how to prepare for the race, he said.
Plunkett will run cross-country this year and will compete in the pole-vault as well where his goal is to clear at least 10 feet this season.
“I really want to have myself in good condition for when I enter the military,” said Plunkett. “I want to join the National Guard to become a combat engineer, and I believe being in good physical condition will help me to reach that goal.”
Plunkett stated that as a combat engineer he will disable bombs and roadside IED’s.
He stated that his father (Danny) is a strong part of his motivation due to his military career and everything the elder Plunkett has done as a soldier and a father.
“I just don’t want to let my dad down because he’s been through it all,” Plunkett continued. “He’s constantly giving me tips on how to make life easier when I’m out on my own.”
Plunkett likes the solidarity of running because he knows that all results are totally based on his efforts.
“My main goal for the marathon was to finish,” grinned Plunkett. “I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.”
The route the participants took for the marathon meandered eastward from the State Capitol building towards the Interstate 55 corridor and north from that point towards the Belhaven community.
The route would then take the runners to the campus of Jackson State University and from there they would make a beeline for the finish line back to the State Capitol.
“It got really tough for me between the five and seven-mile mark,” Plunkett said. “I just got myself into the mindset of finishing so I could just get it over with.”
He said that he’s already looking to run in another marathon with the motivation he’s received from finishing the Mississippi Blues Half-Marathon.
He said that finishing the marathon was ‘kind of humbling’ due to the fact that God gave him the ability to run in the first place and to finish the race as well.
“It just gives me another way to honor Him in my life,” concluded Plunkett.
Eddie is the son of Danny and Anne Plunkett of Kosciusko.
