Whatever you do, do it with all your heart
This weekend I had the opportunity to participate in the ING Georgia Marathon / Half Marathon. Several dozen members of my triathlon team were running the half or the full and I went both to run and cheer my teammates on.
After finishing the half I was able to cheer the full marathoners near the finish line for several hours. During this time, I had the opportunity to see hundreds of finishers. Some were running for charity, some just to get in a good training workout, and one man wearing a full superman outfit. It was a diverse group. There was also quite a disparity in attitudes of the people crossing finish line. Some had the expression that you could plainly read as “this was the worst experience of my life and I am never going to do this again!” Others were in obvious pain as they shuffled or stumbled towards the finish line. But members of the third group were the most inspirational.
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.
These people were all winning by overcoming their own personal mountain. They were the people with a look of sheer joy, satisfaction, and elation of having completed such a task. Running (or walking) across the line screaming or sobbing their behavior would have been inappropriate in most situations. However, under the circumstances, it was quite emotional and literally choked me up.
I found myself wondering as they crossed what their story was. Had they run in honor of a friend or relative suffering from cancer? Had they overcome a huge obstacle to make it this far? Or were they simply overjoyed at the thought of sleeping in on Saturdays instead of getting up for a 20 miler. I think the one that touched me the most was an overweight woman in her fifties, coming in near the tail end of the group of 16000 total finishers. I imagined that she had never pictured herself as an athlete and it was surreal to her that she had finally accomplished her goal perhaps a goal that some people had told her was ill-advised.
Interestingly enough a verse came to my mind as I watched these runners and in particular this woman. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. “ Paul was likely not talking about a footrace with these words but he was speaking about the satisfaction that comes through knowing you did your best, you followed through and gave it everything you had.
Thinking about this experience this week has reminded me to take no experience for granted and to tackle wholeheartedly the daily tasks of life. Whether it’s my own training, work, or a quiet time, my goal is to do it with all my heart!
by Bethany Rutledge
As someone who has also run in the past,these verses have come to my mind also. There are also so who collapse along the way and never reach the finish line.