Getting to the finish line - 5k 10th April 2010

Here are the runners, me, Brenna, Becca and Anne. All first time runners except me, who was returning to the track...slowly.
Brenna "three biscuits" transformed into Brenna 33.01mins for her very first 5km!! Great achievement!!


It was a lovely run in Liberty State Park, New Jersey. We ran with views of Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty and a gorgeous sunny morning along the Hudson River. Perfect.
I had run 5ks before and I knew I wasn't ready for this one. I was in the grumpiest of moods and as the announcer reminded people who were not six minute milers to get away from the front lines, I moved as far back as I could go. I met a man who explained that he didn't think he even drove a six minute mile! I had barely crossed the start line and I was all for just turning around and heading back to the car. Just at that point this woman came up behind me with some encouraging words. So I decided I would run up to her and run with her to keep me going.

Her name is Jackie and we got each other through the race. I watched those who were at the front of the race run past us as they looped back to the finish line. None of them looked happy, they all looked like they would do anything to be first and I realised that those of us at the back were glad just to have turned up and would be even happier to cross the finish line. So Jackie and I set each other small goals and stuck with it. We built a little community for the race and exchanged words of encouragement as we went. Just when one of us thought we could go no further, the other one would pull us on.

At one point I exclaimed that the back of the race is where Jesus would be, then turned to her and said "for all I know, you could be Jesus!" And for that morning she was. She was the gentle encouraging voice, the supporting voice that valued me and not my achievements, and she was running with me, so I was not running alone. Sounds like Jesus to me.