Local man competes in Boston Marathon

CHILLICOTHE — Chillicothe man, Joe Jinks, recently took part in the Boston Marathon on April 19 of this year. The race is something he has been training for for years.

Jinks said he has been running since junior high school, what originally started as participating in a sport he was good at turned into a a hobby he enjoys that helps him decompress and connect with friends.

"I always come back to running," said Jinks.

While running Jinks eventually set his sights on the Boston Marathon as it is an iconic race that he wanted to be part of.

The Boston Marathon is over 26 miles long and runners must first qualify based on speed to enter the race. Jinks, at 38 years old, entered the race for the first time this year. The marathon had 26,491 participating runners, four of whom were registered from Chillicothe.

To prepare for the race Jinks worked to better himself physically and mentally by running around 65 miles a week to prepare his body for the long distance and to prove to his brain that he could do it. He said when running such long distances you have to be able to push past any barriers your body or mind put in front of you to be able to finish.

At the marathon, Jinks ultimately placed in 1,474 place with a time of 02:51:56. He said at the start of the race he was feeling fresh and ready to go, making good time. He did feel himself slowing down when it came to the last 6 miles and the Heartbreak Hill portion of the race. He said his training helped him get through these tough points and to the finish line.

"I was really happy and pleased with the effort," said Jinks.

While his training helped Jinks said the biggest motivators were his family members who came to the race to cheer him on. Having them at critical spots and knowing they were cheering him on gave him the motivation to keep running.

"My family is my rock," said Jinks. "It was really cool to have them there."

Though his son is young and doesn't fully understand what his dad accomplished Jinks said he is excited to be able to show him what can happen when you are determined and put in the work.

Even though he is proud of his efforts in his first Boston Marathon after taking a few days to rest he is already starting to work on beating his time in next year's race. Jinks also plans on participating in several other races around the area to have fun and keep his skills sharp.

Shelby Reeves is a reporter for the Chillicothe Gazette. You can email her at SReeves@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @Shelby_Reeves_

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Local man one of four from Chillicothe to run in Boston Marathon