A few weeks ago, Jim Plunkett-Cole reached 20,000 miles on his feet since he began a challenge to run every single day since January 2013, achieving an average of just over ten miles per day for 2,000 consecutive days.

Whilst this unbelievable feat has evolved over the years (it saw him upping the stakes to a triathlon a day and then, of course, running across America), Jim’s aim has always been the same – to inspire others to stay active every single day; something which he began with the Kx365 challenge back in 2014 – an online community of local people documenting their everyday victories in staying active and which continues today, seeing 1,500 people take part.

Overcoming sickness, injury, broken bones and swollen knees, and going through major life events, such as the death of his mother, the Kilmersdon runner has not broken his challenge and is on course to complete 2,018 days – the target he has now set himself.

Just before leaving for America, Jim had begun a series of school talks across our area; speaking of his adventures with his faithful collie dog, Alfredo, whilst out running in the wild, and inspiring children to not only be active, but to open their eyes to the wildlife around them and, in doing so, getting out and having some adventures of their own.

Jim’s first talk took place at Bishop Henderson School, Coleford, in 2015, thanks to Bridget Johnson, who invited him to talk to the children in a question and answer session. Like his challenge, the talks too, evolved, with schoolchildren able to go out and join Jim on a run on the school grounds, which led to bigger lessons, such as the older children helping the youngest to get around the school field, supporting their endeavours and celebrating their achievements. Most children design and make their own race numbers for the visit!

Readers of The Journal will know that Jim spent many successful months running across America, meeting new people and inspiring children in American schools, too. In doing so, he added to many of his adventures with which to enthral local children on his return, including being chased by wild pigs in the Louisiana outback!

Back in the UK, the school visits have continued and taken Jim across the country, however, in September, he will be launching ‘Jim and Flow’s Amazing Equator Adventure’.

It will take Jim and his new collie dog, Flow, ten years to achieve, covering an average of seven miles a day for that time. The idea is that they will be the first dog and owner to have ever run that kind of distance together, and will take the message to schools that lie along the lines of longitude, virtually visiting schools all around the globe. Flow has already started having her own adventures, including leaping into a canal to try and stand on a lily pad and being followed home by a young fox in the snow.

As an economist, Jim is interested in the figures and estimates that so far, he has spread the message of keeping active to 25,000 children across the UK and US since 2015. Schools are beginning to see the benefits of physical exercise and the link with academic performance, and he hopes that the virtual visits will mean he can extend this audience, whilst asking schools to link up and learn about their customs, culture and landmarks, building up a huge blog over the ten years, and creating a wallchart map of the world with milestone cards which can be collected by children as the pair go. Jim also challenges entire schools to be active every day, with several schools taking up the challenge so far.

Hoping to begin the challenge in person from Meridian Primary School in Greenwich, London, Jim and Flow will set off on their tour (which will mostly have to be virtual), as they travel around the equator. Jim says: “I’ll be sixty-years-old by the time I finish this latest challenge, so why not make it a big one?

“There’s so much to do in the fight against global obesity – we are not designed to be sedentary beings. I want to inspire children to get out there and make their own adventures and tell their own stories – something that cannot be done by sitting on the sofa.

“It really doesn’t have to go to the lengths that I go to – just for people to find something achieveable or something that they are good at; to inspire others, cut screen time and ultimately change lives.”

Jim and Flow’s Amazing Equator Adventure begins in September. You can follow their progress via Amazing Equator on Facebook and Instagram and at: amazingequator.com

To arrange a school visit please email at: [email protected]

Becky Brooks