And then 42 km later. The funny part of this is that a few friends from church showed up... about an hour after I finished. Part of that was because I finished much faster than I expected, which is always a good thing in a race. At any rate, when these pictures were taken, I´d already had the chance to hydrate and relax a bit.
There were several points in the race where it was really difficult to continue--especially between the 30- and 40-km points. Things like live bands, encouraging spectators, and the little kid who gave me a high five really were necessary to make it through. And most of all, I´m extremely grateful to God for giving me such a beautiful day, and for helping me to have a wonderful experience and make it successfully to the finish line. I´ll close with some great passages that analogize the Christian life to a marathon. Part of the one from Hebrews was running through my head as I pressed toward the finish line on Sunday.
"But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13b-14).
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:1-2).
