CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- When David Eplin traveled from Logan County to Charleston to file paperwork at the secretary of state's office this week, he took the typical route: U.S. 119.

But the 23-year-old says he trekked the 40-some miles by foot.

Eplin, a Chapmanville resident, is running for a seat in the House of Delegates 19th District. The Democrat works as a warehouseman at the Pepsi Bottling Group in Logan.

He wanted to prove his dedication to potential constituents, he said. So he walked -- and sometimes ran -- to the Capitol.

Eplin set out from the Logan-Boone county line around 9:40 p.m. Monday, carrying a backpack full of power bars, Hershey chocolate, Gatorade and water, he said. Some friends followed him in a car until about 3 a.m.

He arrived at the Capitol shortly after 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, wearing a button-down shirt, khakis and sneakers.

He limped down the hall as he made his way to Secretary of State Natalie Tennant's office to file his candidacy.

Earlier Tuesday, Eplin stopped at the Bob Evans restaurant at Southridge Centre, where he ordered a three-cheese omelet and hash browns.

"It was fantastic," he said, adding that he fell asleep while waiting for his food.

But "Southridge was considerably farther [from the Capitol] than I thought it was," he said.

Eplin has never run for office before, but is active in West Virginia Young Democrats and Young Democrats of America, he said.

Generations of his family have worked in coal mines.

"A big issue for me is economic diversification in the coalfields," he said.

Eplin also studies political science and business administration at Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College in Logan.

The 19th District has four seats, and eight people, including Eplin, have filed to run so far. The filing period ends Jan. 30.

Reach Alison Knezevich at alis...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1240.