I always knew running 100km was going to be hard, I just didn’t expect the pain to start so early!
I didn’t sleep much the night before the race, but by the time we got to the start line in Greymouth at 5am, I was ready to go. Despite the dark, Bishop Steve and I enjoyed running the first 30km along the West Coast Wilderness Trail. The going was easy, and we chatted with each other and with other participants starting out on this epic journey.
It all changed for me as we entered the town of Kumara.
I had a pain in my side and was feeling dizzy. My heart rate started to go up and I felt like I had to work extra hard to keep moving. I still have no idea what caused this. I had myself checked over by the medic at the Kumara aid station who said I was okay to continue, and would check in again with me at the halfway point.
But my confidence was dented. Would I be able to go the distance? I waved Steve on ahead. I was reduced to a walk. Then a rain storm hammered down. Fortunately I was right outside Holy Trinity Church in Kumara, which has a wonderful covered area outside the front door. I sheltered under the entrance way whilst I put on my waterproof jacket and ate a banana. As I set off again, I phoned my wife Jacque. It was so good to hear her voice, and she encouraged me to keep going.
Keep going I did, travelling through some beautiful country, but the next 60km were painful. I alternated between running and walking. My muscles were tight and my steps were getting shorter. The trail has little signposts marking off the kilometres and it felt like getting to each one of those was an achievement. Passing ten of them was a miracle, and every 10km I spoke out to my thanks to God for sustaining me. I was also reminded of others praying for me – many praying the prayer published on the Givealittle page:
As they move forward, mile by mile, may they find strength when they feel weak, hope when the road feels long, and joy in every step that carries them closer to the finish.
I agreed in principle with the prayer, I just couldn’t square the line about “joy in every step” with my experience. It felt like “pain in every step”. But as my blistered feet landed on the trail, I was reminded of James 1:2-3 which says “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
Reflecting on my experience of being a Christian, and that of fellow believers, there are many kinds of trials we have to walk through. The grief of losing a loved one. The laying down of dreams that don’t work out as we planned. The challenges of navigating chronic illness. The rollercoaster of parenting in today’s digital world.
God can use even the most painful situations to grow qualities in us that we never would have imagined.
Amazingly, the last 10km of the race proved to be the best of all. Maybe it was because the sun had come out. Maybe it was the sense of finally closing in on the finish line. Maybe it was the ibuprofen I took to ease my joint pain. Maybe it was the gentle downhill into Hokitika. But it was as if the dashboard illuminated again and all systems were working. The pain receded into the background, my strides became longer, my pace picked up. My goal was to reach the finish line before it got dark. And I did! At 5:47pm, running the best I had all day, I crossed the finish line to be reunited with Bishop Steve who had come in half an hour earlier.
There is a race we’re all running as Christians. It is wonderful when we run in fellowship with others. Sometimes we are called to tread a more lonely path. Often the road has unexpected twists and turns. But there awaits for us a reunion at the finish line for all who have run faithfully (2 Tim 4:7-8).
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
We have invited these writers to share their experiences, ideas and opinions in the hope that these will provoke thought, challenge you to go deeper and inspire you to put your faith into action. These articles should not be taken as the official view of the Nelson Diocese on any particular matter.
I always knew running 100km was going to be hard, I just didn’t expect the pain to start so early!
I didn’t sleep much the night before the race, but by the time we got to the start line in Greymouth at 5am, I was ready to go. Despite the dark, Bishop Steve and I enjoyed running the first 30km along the West Coast Wilderness Trail. The going was easy, and we chatted with each other and with other participants starting out on this epic journey.
It all changed for me as we entered the town of Kumara.
I had a pain in my side and was feeling dizzy. My heart rate started to go up and I felt like I had to work extra hard to keep moving. I still have no idea what caused this. I had myself checked over by the medic at the Kumara aid station who said I was okay to continue, and would check in again with me at the halfway point.
But my confidence was dented. Would I be able to go the distance? I waved Steve on ahead. I was reduced to a walk. Then a rain storm hammered down. Fortunately I was right outside Holy Trinity Church in Kumara, which has a wonderful covered area outside the front door. I sheltered under the entrance way whilst I put on my waterproof jacket and ate a banana. As I set off again, I phoned my wife Jacque. It was so good to hear her voice, and she encouraged me to keep going.
Keep going I did, travelling through some beautiful country, but the next 60km were painful. I alternated between running and walking. My muscles were tight and my steps were getting shorter. The trail has little signposts marking off the kilometres and it felt like getting to each one of those was an achievement. Passing ten of them was a miracle, and every 10km I spoke out to my thanks to God for sustaining me. I was also reminded of others praying for me – many praying the prayer published on the Givealittle page:
As they move forward, mile by mile, may they find strength when they feel weak, hope when the road feels long, and joy in every step that carries them closer to the finish.
I agreed in principle with the prayer, I just couldn’t square the line about “joy in every step” with my experience. It felt like “pain in every step”. But as my blistered feet landed on the trail, I was reminded of James 1:2-3 which says “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
Reflecting on my experience of being a Christian, and that of fellow believers, there are many kinds of trials we have to walk through. The grief of losing a loved one. The laying down of dreams that don’t work out as we planned. The challenges of navigating chronic illness. The rollercoaster of parenting in today’s digital world.
God can use even the most painful situations to grow qualities in us that we never would have imagined.
Amazingly, the last 10km of the race proved to be the best of all. Maybe it was because the sun had come out. Maybe it was the sense of finally closing in on the finish line. Maybe it was the ibuprofen I took to ease my joint pain. Maybe it was the gentle downhill into Hokitika. But it was as if the dashboard illuminated again and all systems were working. The pain receded into the background, my strides became longer, my pace picked up. My goal was to reach the finish line before it got dark. And I did! At 5:47pm, running the best I had all day, I crossed the finish line to be reunited with Bishop Steve who had come in half an hour earlier.
There is a race we’re all running as Christians. It is wonderful when we run in fellowship with others. Sometimes we are called to tread a more lonely path. Often the road has unexpected twists and turns. But there awaits for us a reunion at the finish line for all who have run faithfully (2 Tim 4:7-8).
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
