“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:6-8
Year #2 as a pacer is in the books!
The weather couldn’t have been more perfect—but sometimes the body has its own stubborn plan. Calf cramps kicked in at mile 4, and my left foot decided to go completely numb on and off between miles 5 and 9.
I had to listen to my body and walk a bit to manage the pain. While I finished around 2:17—missing that 2:10 pace target—it was still faster than my time last year! I’m counting that as a major win for the foot. I truly felt God’s steady, sustaining presence picking me up and guiding me through every grueling mile of that challenging course.
Sometimes the “win” isn’t the number on the clock, but the raw grit it takes to get to the finish line anyway. This course is relentlessly hilly and another one for the books. Come join me next year on April 10, 2027 for the Bridge and Dam!
Those were the words written by my dear friend Erika—pictured above holding the 2:10 pacer stick—the day after pacing the annual Bridge and Dam Half Marathon at the Lake of the Ozarks.
Now, if you’re unfamiliar with the world of pacing, the 2:10 on the pacer stick meant that Erika’s job was to guide the runners in her group from the starting line to the finish line—13.1 miles later—right at or just under 2 hours and 10 minutes. As you can imagine, this meant Erika had to maintain a consistent, steady pace while encouraging the runners around her to keep pressing on to the end—something that is no easy task. As someone who has run this course before, I can personally attest that it is indeed a demanding one. Running in the Ozarks always means a relentless, rolling stretch of hills.
And while Erika didn’t meet her pace target, what matters most is that she pressed on through the pain, finished strong, and gave God the glory for giving her the “win.” I have no doubt that Erika inspired—and will continue to inspire—others to trust God and press on when things don’t go as planned, simply by the way she chose to maintain her joy and trust His plan over her own.
This, in fact, should be the settled, unshakable attitude of every believer—because God never promised us a life of ease. What He did promise, though, is that all who remain faithful to the very end will receive “the crown of righteousness.” This crown isn’t handed to a runner based on the number on the clock, but rather on the fight, the grit, and the perseverance displayed by remaining faithful until the last step. Is that not the most freeing thing?
This steadfast, bone-deep endurance was something Paul clearly understood. Nearing the end of his own race, he wrote:
“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:6-8)
And lest we romanticize what Paul’s race actually looked like, he described it in vivid, unflinching detail:
“Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.” (2 Corinthians 11:23-28)
Paul was under no illusion that a life completely poured out in service to the Lord would be a comfortable one. He had faced false imprisonment, savage floggings, brutal beatings, stonings, shipwrecks, and a harrowing host of other dangers—and yet he never backed down from the fight or slowed his pace in the spiritual race, because he kept his eyes fixed on the crown.
“We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)
There were stretches in Paul’s race so brutal that he felt the crushing weight of pain and persecution bearing down on him from every direction—and yet he never spiraled into despair or lost hope. And because of Paul’s iron perseverance and unrelenting devotion to God and the mission He had placed in his hands, countless believers—myself included—have drawn deep, life-giving strength from his example and chosen to press on until the end.
So here’s the honest truth, friends: it’s easy to praise God and run well when the course is flat and the conditions are ideal. But that is not what inspires the ones who are “struck down” to finish well and keep the faith. Our example in the face of real opposition does. That is the very reason we must never quit—and never give in to the hollow temptation to say, “Woe is me, this race is just too hard.”
Instead, we must praise the Lord and press on, knowing that the “win” isn’t found in hitting our goal—it’s found in finishing well and inspiring others to do the same.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the reminder that every believer carries the power to influence their brothers and sisters in Christ to either give up or keep pressing on. Help me to keep my eyes fixed on that final finish line, so that I may be—like Paul—an encouragement to those who are struggling to finish. Help me to always carry joy in my heart and praise on my lips, so that I can one day say with full confidence, “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.” In Your precious name I pray, Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running! 🏃♀️
Melissa Sharp is an ultra runner and running coach who has completed more than 100 marathons and ultra marathons. Melissa has learned how to keep running the race of life for the glory of Christ even though she endured decades of domestic abuse. Melissa is a survivor. Through her daily blog thejoyfilledrunner she inspires others to live in the strength of Christ.
