Wilmington Marine Corps veteran running 30 miles per day to honor fallen troops

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — It’s been nearly a week since 13 US service members were killed in a terrorist attack in Afghanistan. Now one local veteran upset by that attack is channeling his frustration into something constructive.

In 2020, Wilmington resident Russell Larkins made headlines for running across America, waving an American flag the whole way.

“Last year I ran across the country from Wilmington, North Carolina to California for veteran suicide awareness,” Larkins said. “It took about five and a half months.”

Larkins says he raised around $30,000 for non-profit veteran programs with that challenge.

This year he’s undertaking a different challenge, in honor of the 13 US service members killed in a terrorist attack in Afghanistan.

“I was an infantry squad leaders in the Marines, and so Marines are near and dear to my heart,” Larkins said. “I’m always running long distances, so for me to just run 13 miles or run 20 miles or even a marathon, it’s like a little too simple. It’s not painful enough for what I’m running for.”

Larkins plans to run 30 miles each day for 13 days straight. He says the goal is to take some of the frustrations he’s feeling and channel it into something positive.

“There’s not really a whole lot we can do other than get angry and do something dumb, and that’s not constructive,” Larkins said. “What’s going to happen with the government is going to happen with the government.”

Larkins’s non-profit, Veterans for Good, is also hosting a pull-up competition to raise awareness for the fallen troops. They also recently collected donations for Afghan refugees.

“We’re going to attempt to get the community and pretty much anybody that we communicate with on Instagram and Facebook, and just online, to attempt to get 13,000 pull-ups in the next 30 days.”

You can find out how to participate or donate here.