Mississippi State's Dan Mullen runs Boston Marathon 2 days after coaching spring game

Dan Mullen

Mississippi State football coach Dan Mullen watches his players during the first half of an NCAA college football spring game, Saturday, April 16, 2016, in Starkville, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

SEC football fans had a rooting interest in Monday's Boston Marathon.

Mississippi State football coach Dan Mullen was among the 30,000 or so runners competing in the world's most prestigious foot race. The 43-year-old Mullen, who grew up in New Hampshire, said running in the Boston Marathon is a "dream come true."

"It's one of those bucket list things you want to do in life," Mullen told USA Today. "It's like skydiving. The Boston Marathon made more sense than skydiving as I've gotten older. I'd love to hike Mt. Kilimanjaro, go on an African safari. I told my wife, 'You know, I do this one and I might get the urge to do an Ironman or something crazy like that.'"

Runners typically have to qualify to compete in the Boston Marathon, but Mullen was able to get a waiver through Adidas, which is Mississippi State's official apparel provider. He said he runs up to six miles a day with longer runs on the weekend, but had never run even a 5K, let alone a marathon.

Mullen ran in Boston to raise money and awareness for his family's Mullen 36 Foundation, which helps kids in Mississippi with "a focus on education, scholarship, the arts, athletics, and healthcare." The "36" in the foundation's name is for former Mississippi State defensive end Nick Bell, a Bessemer native who wore that number and died of cancer in 2010.

Here's a video about Mullen's plans to run the Marathon:

Mullen posted updates on his progress via Twitter:

UPDATE: Mullen finished the marathon in a little less than 4 1/2 hours:

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