Running, for Evelyn Watkins, is a force that pulses through much of her life. She’s run 47 marathons in 39 states, and she plans to have run marathons in all 50 states within about one year. She’s also competed in triathlons and various other events — bringing home a cache of medals — but her deepest fondness may lie with the fundamental activity of running.

She’s run 47 marathons in 39 states, and she plans to have run marathons in all 50 states within about one year. She’s also competed in triathlons and various other events — bringing home a cache of medals — but her deepest fondness may lie with the fundamental activity of running.

“My goal is always to finish strong,” Watkins said. “I’m just trying to feel better about myself and enjoy being active. I’ve met tons of people along the way.”

Watkins, 36, was awarded the 2016 Mississippi Athlete of the Year for the State Games, in the women’s category, and she was one of the athletes scheduled to carry the torch for the Opening Ceremonies before rainstorms washed them away.

Watkins has competed in a range of athletic events, sometimes slipping outside the state’s boundaries — and outside the regional ones, as well — to do so. She participated in the Ironman 70.3 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in May 2016. She also participated in the New York City Marathon in 2010, the Mississippi 50 Mile Trail Run in 2013, and in 2017 she ran a personal best of three hours and 54 minutes at the Fargo, North Dakota, Marathon. 

Watkins has excelled in races, but she noted reasons for running that soar beyond competition. About a decade ago, she was working in television, in Birmingham, Alabama, and she enjoyed her job.

“But I got to a point where, in a job like that where you’re sitting all of the time,” she said. “I just was unhappy with how I felt, physically.”

So Watkins began to work out, and soon she discovered the power of running.

“I just kind of fell in love with running,” she said, noting that she liked to do it on her own and “compete with myself.”

Running, for Watkins, seems to act as a kind of portal, prompting her to travel to various states and encounter people along the way. Other reasons, too, hover above her running.

“I like finishing and saying that I finished,” she said. “It’s not about winning; it’s not about being fast. It’s just about perseverance and finishing something that you started.”

Evelyn Watkins

“It’s not about winning; it’s not about being fast. It’s just about perseverance and finishing something that you started.”

–Evelyn Watkins

Watkins also likes to set goals, and sometimes they’re extremely precise and even year-appropriate.

“This year I want to run 2,017 miles,” said Watkins, who lives in Meridian, where she was born, with her husband, Wes. “Tomorrow I’ll hit 1,000.”

She also is working on running at least a mile every day for a year, which she’s on track to do this year.

The peace Watkins clearly absorbs from running transcends everyday objects and activities.

“I don’t wear makeup,” she said. “I don’t care about fancy clothes. I don’t need to impress people. I’m not one of those that goes shopping on the weekend with her girlfriends. I’m an outdoorsy, tomboy-kind-of-person.”

But the running path hasn’t always been clear and smooth for Watkins. After she began to run in earnest, Watkins hit a snag physically, experiencing bone misalignments in her feet that, among other things, placed her big toes at angles that created pain while she ran. Watkins endured surgeries on her feet in 2007 — surgeries, she explained, that allowed her to run without foot pain.

Nowadays, Watkins’ work intersects with her running. She earned a bachelor of science degree from the University of West Alabama in 2014, and she holds various posts — some professional, some volunteer — that allow her to bring her expertise in physical fitness to others.

Watkins serves as the commissioner for the Trail Race in the State Games of Mississippi. A certified exercise physiologist, Watkins pursues a number of jobs and activities related to health. She works full-time as a fitness specialist in the Naval Air Station Meridian Sonny Montgomery Fitness Center, and she works part-time at The Club 24 as a personal trainer. She’s also one of the race directors for the Magnolia Marathon.

Sometimes, in her work, Watkins encounters people who have lots of experience running and doing other sorts of exercise. Sometimes, though, she encounters people who are just beginning — and who may feel intimidated.

“Every exercise is modifiable,” she said. “Any person, no matter what their situation is, can come to a gym and they can seek help. They can get benefits.”

Watkins said she’s worked with clients who had a range of conditions, some serious.

“They all can exercise,” she said. “They need the knowledge, or they need the help from someone who has the knowledge to tell them how to do it.”

Sometimes, Watkins said, people need assurance that they can follow exercise paths that are right for them — and not from “big guys” surrounded by heavyweights.

“You’re not going to do what he’s doing,” she said she tells them.

Watkins also reaches out to people in more informal ways. She met Debbie May, for instance, through the Bonita Running Club — and with the help of Facebook.

“When I first started, I had a lot of issues with my feet,” said May, from Meridian. “She gave me suggestions about shoes, what types of socks, what might be wrong with my feet.”

For May, who began to run a few years ago, that sort of warm camaraderie and support is vital, and it’s something she said Watkins exudes in her interactions with other people.

“She’s that way with everybody,” May said.