Distance Running and the Christian Life

Distance Running and the Christian Life

© Stephen Farra, PhD, LP, 2022. All rights reserved.

Working as a pastor, a psychologist, a professor, and a distance running coach has made me aware of a metaphor for the Christian Life that really “works” – The Christian Life AS a Distance Race. Besides looking at the New Testament passages that use this metaphor, this short paper/sermon will break the discussion down into five core principles that fully apply to both distance running and the Christian Life. The goal is to provide the reader/listener with some concrete steps toward better athletic performance and/or a more robust and effective Christian life. 

This is a short paper/sermon about a metaphor that really “works” – the Christian life as a distance race. Before I begin, though, readers/listeners may want to know if I can meaningfully address both “ends” of the metaphor – an accurate, truthful description of the Christian life, and the actual dynamics of distance running. 

I have been a devoted (though very imperfect) follower of Jesus Christ since I was 18 (53 years ago). While I was never formally ordained, I was licensed to preach and/or counsel in four different denominations and I supplied “pulpit fill” in almost a dozen different denominations.  I always tried to stick very close to the original languages and cultural contexts of the biblical texts, and to provide meaningful insights listeners could practically use in their daily lives. I hope this is evident in Distance Running and the Christian Life. 

My background in distance running: You wouldn’t know it now, for I am old and have to get around with a cane (degenerative disc disease). Yet, I ran Cross Country (CC) in High School and my first two years of college, nearly always “scoring” for my team. Five years later, I started coaching a great group of college CC runners. I continued doing that for the next ten years.  We ran two full marathons together (in decent times). We always won the Conference Championship, and in one of those ten years, we were the best team in the Nation in Division II of our private-college athletic association.  (Years later, all six of our children ran CC or Track – we went to a lot of meets!).   Along the way, I learned a fair amount about distance running. 

As their college coach, to help the new recruits, and to remind the team of the basics, each year I would give them all an “instructional talk” that would specify what was expected, and how they could succeed. It was built around these five core principles – that we will later “unpack” and relate to the “distance race” of the Christian life:

1.   Be prepared to give your all.

2.   Learn pace.

3.   Travel light.

4.   Don’t spend much time comparing yourself to others.

5.   Let the finish line pull you in.  

The New Testament often uses distance running as a metaphor for the Christian life. Here are some of the best-known verses that reference distance running:

I Corinthians 9: 24– 25: “Don’t you know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize?  Run in a way that will win the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into rigorous training.  They do it to obtain a crown that will not last, but we do it to obtain a crown that will last for eternity.”

Philippians 2: 14-16: “Do all things without murmuring or quarreling: that you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain …”

Hebrews 12: 1 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”

II Timothy 4: 6-8: “ For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. There is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day …”              

Notice in these verses the intense focus on moving forward toward the grand purpose set before us, not getting “bogged down” or distracted by quarrels, sins, and/or the burdens of life. Notice the fierce determination to stay on the course, and to complete the course, no matter what!  

The Apostle Paul dictated/wrote at least three of these passages.  (I believe he produced the Hebrews passage, too. All counterarguments aside, I think I recognize the Apostle Paul’s writing style, his passion for his native Hebrews (his Jewish people group), and I “hear his voice”). Most importantly, the Apostle Paul lived out what he said and wrote. He didn’t just “walk the talk.” He ran it – consistently and hard!  While resting for periods of time, and “needing to be strengthened by the brothers” a couple of times, the Apostle Paul never gave up and never gave in, during his 22 years of public Christian ministry – before the very troubled, very evil Roman Emperor Nero had him beheaded in 68 AD.  Nero himself died later that same year.

If one seeks a great Old Testament verse that also references distance running, here it is: Psalm 119:32: "I will run the way of Your commandments, as You enlarge my heart."

Let’s now “unpack” the five principles in my distance running “instructional talk” and see how they directly apply to the living of the Christian life.

1. Be prepared to give your all. Most individuals know going in that distance running is not a “glamor sport” – only a few fans, long training runs (often, all by yourself), and you’re going to have to press yourself “until it hurts.” (Distance runners use the same “focus and blow” pain control technique that is taught to wives and husbands in their Lamaze Natural Birthing classes. My wife Sharon birthed all six of our children naturally, without any anesthesia).  Only rarely would we encounter a recruit who wanted to be less than fully committed, who signed up for the food, travel, and offbeat humor, but not the serious workouts. This, of course, would show up in their attitudes, and frequent “no shows” at practice times. They would be quickly eliminated from the team.  “Take off the uniform (for good), if you’re not going to do the work.”  ** Of course, there are “Christians” who need to hear the same message!  With a “consumer orientation” they signed up for the “benefits” of a Christian life, not the commitment, effort, or “costs.” As has been frequently said, many get into Christianity thinking they are getting onto a luxury cruise ship, not realizing they have just stepped onto a battleship, with all of its work, dangers, and necessary discipline. Jesus was clear – if you are not willing to “take up your cross”, you are not, and will not, be one of His. 

2. Learn pace.  Very often, new recruits would be willing to “give it their all” but had not learned pace.  Their High School CC races were typically 5,000 meters (3.1 miles), or less (sometimes as little as two miles). Our (CC) races in college were either five miles, or 8,000 meters (4.971 miles), or 10,000 meters (6.2 miles).  These young, new runners would get up to the start line and take out fast, and then burn out fast, often finishing poorly, completely exhausted.  They had not learned pace (giving your all, but intelligently, over the whole span of the course, not just the first half).  “Until the very end, you must hold something back, keep a reserve. Think of the first half of the race as warm up, before the real race begins – at about the 3-mile mark!”   ** There are Christians (and some of the their overzealous pastors/leaders) who need to learn this lesson!  A person can be fully committed, and still not feel “called” or “obligated” to meet every need, or to accept every church or civic duty assignment.  My father, who Chaired Missions Departments at two different Bible Colleges, told this true story: A young (44-year-old) missionary lay dying of exhaustion and infections in Africa. Almost his last words: “I am a messenger, with a message to deliver. Unfortunately, I have killed the horse” (his own body). Run an all-out race, but don’t kill the horse!   Until you are very close to the finish line, always hold back at least a small “reserve.”  There will be plenty of time and opportunity to “gut it out” in the last half of the course! 

 3. Travel light.  CC runners and their coaches are typically obsessed with “traveling light.”  At times, this gets a bit embarrassing!   To reduce weight and wind resistance, both men and women CC runners will often run their races in thin nylon uniforms that look much more like underwear than outerwear!  And, believe it or not, when it gets very cold, to protect their legs and “lower parts” from the sub-freezing temperatures during long races, men will often wear ladies’ nylon pantyhose – because nylon pantyhose can effectively act as “insulation” and are much less bulky and restrictive than “training sweats.” It was always “interesting” watching my All-American CC runners putting on their pantyhose!  And their shoes!  Training shoes can be rather bulky and over-generous in “padding” (usually EVA rubber), but never race shoes. The bones of the foot, the arch, the knees, and the spine of the runner must still be protected, but in the most “economic” way possible.  And, we’re talking about weight here, not money!  I once owned a good pair of Nike marathon shoes (size 11) that weighed 6.9 ounces each!  The story is told of a European shoe expert who stayed up all night before an important European marathon, working to reduce one ounce of weight from each of a favorite runner’s marathon shoes. The reason? Because a one-once reduction in weight in each shoe would mean the runner’s two legs would (catch this!) lift 5,764 pounds less weight over the course of the marathon! You get the idea. Typically, the better a runner is, the lighter the uniform and race shoes will be! He or she would never even think of running an important, competitive race with heavy shoes, in heavy sweats, (or, worse yet) while carrying some kind of “fanny pack” full of treats or charms!   They understand, it’s vitally important to be “minimalist” in what they bring to the starting line, and travel (very) light!  ** It’s often discouraging and genuinely puzzling to see how many Christians are trying to “run the race of life” all burdened down with everything from excessive worries to compulsive sins to whole rooms of their homes full (overloaded) with rarely or never-used material “stuff.”  The Hebrews 12 passage tells us to lay aside every weight. If we’re going to run well, we need to travel light.  A friend of mine said some years ago, most Americans are trying to live and practice “castle” Christianity, when what we’re actually called to is “backpack” Christianity. We are not here to settle in, and build ourselves a glittering castle, but to carry forward only what we need for day-to-day life/ministry, and to keep “moving on” to our next divine assignment/duty station. 

 4.  Don’t spend much time comparing yourself to others.  It is difficult to stop endlessly comparing ourselves to others.  On the CC trails, runners (of course) need to be aware of the other runners, and if it’s an important competitive race, the top runners need to aware of where they are in relation to the “top pack” at all times.  (Ironically, until the last 3/4 mile, it’s often best not to lead the top pack, but to let the others pierce the air/wind and supply some of the necessary psychological energy to run that far that fast). But, finally – no matter where you’re positioned in the race, and even in the finish chute, it’s not about them – it’s about you! There will nearly always be slower and faster runners, so really, you can view the other runners primarily as a “stimulus” to help you run your own best race. You’re really running against yourself. If you can set a PR (personal record), then you’ve “won”, no matter how the other runners do, because you have effectively pushed back your own human limitations! Really great races are nearly always “inside-out” races. They come from deep within and are not due to social comparison and sporadic effort. So, don’t spend much time comparing yourself to the other runners. Be aware of others, but run your own race – from the center of who you are. ** It’s easy to see the comparison to the effective, meaningful Christian life here. Scripture generally discourages us from comparing ourselves to others.  (God is not impressed if we appear “a little better” than the next guy, and He does not “grade on a curve.”)  Rather, Scripture encourages us to be completely honest/truthful, fully accept Saving Grace, keep our commitments, and hold ourselves accountable to the Light (Divine Direction) we’ve been given.  The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25) indicates that God will finally evaluate the outcomes in our lives, partially based on what we were given from the start. Each day we should get up, lay aside every known “weight” and faithfully run our own race – and then trust Him for all the rest (all the final outcomes). 

5.  Let the finish line pull you in.  In a championship race, when you are breathing heavily and jostling along in the top pack, you can pace yourself and keep that “inner reserve” we talked about earlier, and sort of manage things rationally – until the last 1200 meters (3/4 of a mile). Then, runners will begin to “make their move”, the “final sprints” begin, and everything crescendos into an intense, roaring finish. This is when you have to just “let go”, and “let out” whatever is left within you. It’s near the end of the race – this is the moment when Eric Liddell would throw his head back and amaze the spectators. Even if we can’t finish like Eric Liddle did in his 1924 Olympic 400-meter race, we can still finish strong by “releasing” in the last 1200 meters of a long-distance race. There can be some “technique” involved in the last 1200 meters, but it’s more about “heart and soul” than technique. Often a runner will experience a “sudden rush” and a “remarkable strength” he or she did not know they possessed.  Then, very suddenly, the runners are all in the finish chute, the race is over, and the counting begins.  You can somewhat time the “release”, but you can’t fully or effectively control what happens when you “let go” and “let it out.” That’s what we mean when we say, “let the finish line pull you in.” ** The application to the Christian life is straightforward. This is when we ask for (and often receive) grace for extreme circumstances, including the death of others and ourselves.  We ask the Lord to meet us at the end of our “distance races.” We just “let go” and release ourselves back to Him. He will receive us, and do all the “counting” once we’re in the finish chute.  He is faithful. If we’ve been faithful (II Timothy 4: 6-8), we can entrust ourselves to Him.

No metaphor is perfect, but this one is robust! To stay with it: We can have great distance races and/or have great Christian lives, if we follow these five core principles:  

1.   Be prepared to give your all.

2.   Learn pace.

3.   Travel light.

4.   Don’t spend much time comparing yourself to others.

5.   Let the finish line pull you in.

I sincerely hope these thoughts will help you in meaningful ways, as you live out the rest of your days!  - Stephen Farra