Sitting around the house and doing much of nothing took its toll on the once-athletic body of Jim Cole. The former Warren Central soccer player saw his weight grow as work and responsibilities took hold.

“It was a pretty sedentary lifestyle,” Cole said. “I put on weight. One day, I was at 225 pounds.”

Standing at 5-foot-5, that was a dangerous weight for the then 29-year-old Cole.

Then his daughter, Meredith, was born. Following her birth, Cole met with his doctor.

“Dr. (Calvin) Masterson told me if I didn’t change something, I wouldn’t be around when Meredith got older,” Cole said.

Cole said it was a wake-up call. He went to the YMCA and started walking after leaving his work at the Vicksburg District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“I just started walking at the YMCA and then around where I live in Bovina. I just went slow with it, but I lost a lot of weight by just walking. With Dr. Masterson’s help, we set a goal to reach 160 pounds.”

Cole reached the goal by the time Meredith celebrated her first birthday, but he wasn’t done. The competitive nature from his soccer days at Warren Central kicked in.

He had been a standout player for Coach Lucy Young’s teams at Warren Central. He was good enough to play two years at Hinds Community College.

Not content to just walk, Cole wanted to run.

“When I got to the point where I wanted to start running, it was just me and buddies challenging each other,” Cole said. “I just wanted to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but I also really liked running.”

Now, he runs up to 30 to 40 miles each week. His weight is down to 140, a loss of 85 pounds.

“I get out on Tucker Road, usually about 5 o’clock in the morning and do my runs,” Cole said. “I know a lot of my neighbors have seen me on the road.”

Cole entered his first Run Thru History about five years ago. Then he started to train for half-marathons. That led to his current passion, triathlons, which combine running, biking and swimming.

“I went to my first one at the Warhawk Triathlon in Monroe,” Cole said. “That was a small one, a 400-yard swim, an 11-mile bike ride and a three-mile run. “

Cole sought out more triathlons. He helped organize the Gator Bait Triathlon at Eagle Lake. The Gator Bait has a 1-mile swim, a 24-mile bike ride and a 10K run.

The triathlons weren’t enough for Cole. He found out about Iron Man competitions.

“They have this Iron Man Competition down in Panama City, Fla., on Nov. 3. That’s what I’m training for now,” Cole said.

The Iron Man is a super triathlon consisting of a 24-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a full marathon of 26.2 miles.

“It’s something you have to pound yourself for and train up to it,” Cole said.

To get ready, Cole will compete in one marathon, three or four half-marathons and eight triathlons this year. And, by the way, he’ll run Saturday in the 33rd Run Thru History.

“Vicksburg is such a gold mine for runners,” Cole said. “The military park is such a beautiful place for a run.”

Not only will Cole compete, his inspiration, Meredith, now 7, will take part in the kids’ fun run.

The pair will be cheered on by Cole’s wife, Kristy, and their 4-year-old son, John Austin.