Inspect BJ Cougle’s vehicles all you want. You will not find one of the 26.2 or 13.1 stickers ubiquitous among marathoners and half-marathoners.
But look in the “man shed” behind his house, and you’ll see a decade’s worth of medals and racing bibs hanging on the wall.
Saturday’s bib and medal from the Frostbite half-marathon in Starkville might well take a special place in the man shed, not because of a top finish or personal best time. In any case, it will be a hard race to forget. Despite a starting time temperature of 21 degrees with a single-digit wind chill, Cougle finished the 13.1-mile race – and in a respectable time of 1 hour, 54 minutes.
“It was such a tough experience,” Cougle said, noting that as of Saturday afternoon, he hadn’t even looked to see what place he finished. “… Today’s definitely one of those you just gut out. You get through.”
Cougle, who along with his wife Jennifer owns BJ’s Pharmacy on South Jackson Street, had never even run a distance race before 10 years ago. Now, at age 45, running is part of his identity, and racing – particularly half-marathons – often finds its way into his weekend calendar.
He first took up running in 2015, joining Frostbite organizers Brad Jones and Wes Gordon for morning runs that started at 4:30 and 5.
“I was overweight, just unhealthy, and had never really taken up a normal, regular exercise routine,” Cougle said. “Among other things I tried, one of them was running, and I actually liked it. … I enjoyed the community part of it. Running with people is always fun, getting to talk with people. (Running) helps you burn a lot of calories really quick, and there’s a lot of mental health benefits that come with it for me.”
By early 2016, Cougle took on Frostbite for his first race. The event includes a half-marathon, 10K and 5K. He opted for the middle distance.
“I finished,” he recalled. “I know it wasn’t great.”
By the end of 2016, he finished his first half-marathon in Memphis. The more he ran, the better he got, and he worked his way up to running four or more half-marathons a year, using the Frostbite route as his “home course” for training, since his home and office both sit near different legs of the route.
Cougle braved his first full marathon in Memphis in 2021, missing his sub-4 hour time goal by just 24 seconds. He tried it again in 2024, finishing in 3 hours, 48 minutes.
“It was probably the best run race I ever had,” Cougle said.
But running 18 miles most mornings, then working all day, proved unsustainable for Cougle, so he calls himself “retired” from marathons. He is content sticking with the half.
Along the way, the running bug also bit B.J.’s daughter, Alex, now a cross-country and track standout at Starkville Academy. She has performed well in the Frostbite 10K and 5K over the last two years, earning third place overall among females Saturday in the 5K.
“We used to run together,” BJ said. “She’s way too fast for me now.”
Building friendships
On top of running the Frostbite each year, BJ has helped sponsor the race for most of the last decade.
The race this year raised funds for the T.K. Martin Center at Mississippi State University, which provides programs for those with special needs. Beyond the philanthropy aspect, BJ said, his sponsorship also promotes the local running community that has been so welcoming to him.
Gordon, who has known BJ for close to 20 years, called him a “great friend and great community member,” despite their differences in college sports fandom.
“He’s an Ole Miss fan in Starkville,” Gordon said, laughing. “I don’t know how he survives that. We have a lot of fun going at him about that. Of course, I haven’t had much to say to him about it lately.”
BJ’s friendship shows up in more than just running, specifically when Gordon had a heart attack in 2016.
“BJ was the first one to come see me in the hospital,” Gordon said.
‘Only crazies do it’
Among BJ’s running medals, far and away the nicest is a finisher medal for a Disney half-marathon in April 2020.
“The medal is Chewbacca, and it’s like three pounds,” BJ said.
Though BJ was signed up for that year’s race at Disney World, COVID-19 got in the way. Instead, he earned the medal “virtually” by running a half-marathon in Starkville and submitting his time. He hasn’t given up on one day running at Disney for real.
“I really want to do one,” BJ said. “They look like a lot of fun, getting to run through the parks.”
Even better, BJ said, would be Disney’s Dopey Challenge, a four-day endurance event covering 48.6 miles. It starts with a 5K on day one, followed by a 10K the next day, a half-marathon on day three and a full marathon on the final day.
“If I ever actually can get into one, I’m going to do it,” BJ said. “… They’re crazy. Only crazies do it, but I’m going to do one, one day, I hope.”
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
