Three Polk County teens ran a half-marathon early Monday morning to spread awareness about the struggles people face with public transportation.
Jeremiah Alex, Cooper Jenks and Kirby Russell usually drive to school.
But when Alex said he wanted to run instead, they decided it was the perfect opportunity to make a change in their community.
The three, who all run cross-country, began their two-hour journey at 4 a.m. at a gas station near their homes.
It ended shortly before the first period at Bartow Senior High School, which Russell and Jenks. Alex attends the nearby Summerlin Military Academy.
They decided to make the trip on a school day to represent the struggles people who walk to their jobs may face.
After completing the half-marathon, Russell said he better understands why accessible public transportation is crucial.
“I think all three of us can attest to the fact that school was not easy today,” Russell said. “We were still physically drained from this journey that we had to take."
Jenks added he was relieved when they made it to school.
“My legs were already killing me,” he said. “I was so happy to finally finish the journey we had to do.”
But the run wasn’t as difficult for Alex, who said his three weeks of training paid off.
“I feel like we could have kept going, we could have went an extra mile,” he said. “I felt overjoyed at the fact that it was finally over and we made it on time, that was the best part.”
The struggle was worth it to them, Russell added, saying their efforts will hopefully encourage the community to push local officials to better fund public transportation.
"We want ordinary people to be able to look to their local officials and say, ‘hey, we want to see these changes being made so that we can benefit from better public transportation in our county,’" he said.
The trio said this could be their last run, but not the end of the legacy they want to leave in Polk County.
