Faith And Distance Running

Ryan Hall, olympic marathon contender, has obviously been busy since qualifying for the games. Yet that hasn't slowed his pursuits or ambitions in becoming involved in worthwhile causes. Nor has it lessened his opportunities for where to spend his energies.

Here is a recent and inspiring excerpt from his elite athlete blog over at TheFinalSprint.com which just solidifies for me what a remarkable and Godly runner Ryan truly is:

The Olympics is not only about unity but unity with a purpose. The Olympic slogan for the upcoming games is "One World One Dream." The organizers describe this slogan as representing the Olympic spirit of "Unity, Friendship, Progress, Harmony, Participation and Dream" furthermore it stands for "the common wishes of people all over the world, inspired by the Olympic ideals, to strive for a bright future of Mankind."

A brighter future for Mankind is something we can all long for. As an athlete in these upcoming games, I hope that I can carry out these Olympic ideals and contribute to the progress of Mankind. The great thing about the Olympics is it gives athletes the opportunity to use their success to help others. Since qualifying for the games, it has been incredible for me to have opportunities to get involved with so many great causes. The most difficult part was deciding where to spend my energy.

When I look at how I want to use my running for the "bright future of Mankind" I think of what are the biggest needs in our world today and how can I use the gifts God has given me to help out. When I was approached by World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization working to fight world poverty and injustice, I already had a heart to help the poor but I didn’t truly realize the full extent of world poverty.

For example, I learned that half of the people in the world, nearly 3 billion people, live on less than two dollars a day. Just yesterday, I was doing my easy 35 minute afternoon run and thinking about how every three seconds a child under the age of five dies as a direct result of poverty. It has finally hit me that we have a major problem here. I know that a major problem can’t be fixed overnight and I realize that I am just one man but if I can use the gifts God has given me to feed one more mouth that otherwise would not be feed, then it is worth it. One of my favorite verses from Message version of Romans simple says, "strength is for service." I am convicted that whatever strength I have been given is not strictly for my enjoyment, but also carries with it the responsibility to carry out the Olympic spirit of providing a bright future for all humanity.

I have no doubt that God has many more plans for this young man and his pursuits. I look forward to hearing more about his efforts, both on his quest for Olympic gold and for the causes more precious than gold that he and his wife are embarking upon.

Below, Ryan reflects during a training run around Big Bear Lake earlier this spring. This is a great little video, much like all the videos he has done so far. Enjoy.



Stay tuned for my 100th blog posting later this week...