Never!!!

Never. That was a word that came up numerous times as Doug and I were running the 50 mile JFK race.


As we were making our way to the start, and still about a half mile away, the starting gun must have gone off because we watched a field of over 1,200 people just get further and further away. There we were, dead last. From that point there was only one way to go and that was up, and up we went because the first three miles were up a mountain until we reached the Appalachian Trail at the top.

As we hit the trail it was just as we imagined; very rocky, somewhat technical, and an ankle's worst nightmare. We were determined to make it off the trail without injuries so we took it as slow as we could and came out of the woods at mile 15 with no problems. Well maybe one, we still had 35 miles to go.

Never #1. Never underestimate the power of prayer and God's healing power. My ankle felt 100% after spending 13 miles on a rock infested trail . After running for six miles the Wednesday before, my ankle was sore and felt weak and I wasn't sure if I was going to able to pull this race off. Then Deb and a friend of mine named Kas Bert assured me that they were 100% confident that God was going to heal it by race day and they were right, He did. I felt zero pain in my ankle for the entire 50 miles and it was not even sore afterwards or to this day.

We hit the Toe Path with all the intentions of trying to pass as many people as we could. That officially lasted for about three miles and then we were fine just finishing. We had a good time just running at our own pace and trying to solve the world's problems and talking about anything and everything to keep our minds off of how far 50 miles really is. Then came mile 30.

Mile 30 is when Doug and I were blessed with meeting up with three ladies. Let me rephrase that, two ladies and a maniac Drill Sargeant type woman that assured Doug and I we had to be at mile 34 in 44 min. in order to make the next cut off. (Side note: In Ultra-Marathons they have checkpoints, and if you don't make a checkpoint in time they pull you out of the race.) Which for you runners out there doesn't sound very fast, but to pull of 10 min miles after running 30 already was no small task for us. So we did it with her screaming out times about every half mile. We finally get to mile 34 with about 5 mins. to spare. I'm looking around for the guy to take down our numbers to make sure that we get checked in, but you guessed it, no guy. As I was getting a drink, I was informed that the checkpoint was not until mile 38 and we had over an hour to get there. I turn around and saw her looking at me and I chose to stay silent. But later had to repent for the thoughts that were going through my mind in that moment.

Never #2. Never listen to a woman while in distress, unless she shares your last name... ( and yes, I fully expect to get comments on that one.)

Mile 38 is when Deb and Ger met us with some PP&J, drinks, and Advil. They put on their running shoes and spent the next 8 miles with us. At mile 41 we hit the hard road and the food, fluids, and medication kicked in and I felt really good. The next five miles were filled with laughter, stories, and making fun of Doug's way of trying to figure out how long we had to go (ask me later). At mile 46, we stopped to take a picture next to a sign that was a memorial for Don Oberholzer Jr. He ran this race 5 times and was the father of our friends Michelle Bell and Don Oberholzer III. As we left that aid station, I watched Deb leave me to finish the next four miles.

Never #3 and 4. Never take the ones you love for granted, because you just never know....

The last 4 miles were just like a long victory lap. We were both tired but the thought of not finishing was long gone and we actually finished pretty strong. As a woman was putting the metals around our necks this is what I heard:

Never #5. "Bro. Never let me do that again."

As I think back on the experience a few more come to mind.

Never #6 Never underestimate the strength, power, grace, and forgiveness of God.

Never #7 I can never live out the dream that God has for my life without the Holy Spirit living in me and guiding me through it.

Never #8 I can never thank all the people enough that have and continue to support us with their prayers and donations to help build the new orphanage.

Never #9 We could never take this on alone, thank you to all 27 families and all the people that have joined the fight....

Never #10 Never say Never!!!!!!!!!

The Big Race

It is the night before the big race and I am not really all that nervous about it. That's not to say I shouldn't be, but I do have a certain peace about it. I had a friend today say that it was not humanly possible to run 50 miles (and I thought, especially when you weigh over 200lbs.) I certainly know that it can be done because many have done it before and actually have gone a lot further, like the 100 miles in 24 hours race. (Doug don't get any ideas.)

That statement did get me thinking a little bit about my own life though. What is not "Humanly Possible"(at least for me) is the reason "WHY" I'm running the 50 miles. The reason are those 31 very special children in Haiti. For those that have known me in the past this doesn't really come as a shock to you, but the love and compassion I have for these kids and the people of Haiti does not come within myself but from the Holy Spirit that dwells within me. That is really the one and only explanation that I have for the pure joy it brings Deb and I to love and help care for these kids like they're our own.

I feel that one of the reasons that Jesus was so concerned about the poor and oppressed was because he knew that when people's basic needs are not met it consumes them. They can't function let alone prosper. Can you imagine not knowing when you were going to eat again or where you were going to sleep. Can you imagine having a life threatening disease or even a cough and not being able to go to a Dr. to be treated. As consuming as that would be, imagine not being able to feed your own child. Imagine trying to keep your kids safe while sleeping on the streets. Imagine watching your child suffer in pain and not being able to help. Poverty can be paralyzing. That consumes me just thinking about it let alone living in that reality. Unfortunately that is reality for millions around the world.

Thank you to all those that have pledged their support to Doug and I, and I promise we will give it all we got. If you happened to think of us tomorrow during the race we would love your prayers, but also pray for those who don't have to imagine physical impoverishment, because they are living and trying to survive among it.

My prayer: "My God, let my heart continue to be broken by the things that break Yours. "

Amen
ps. Help us finish too!!!

50 mile Race this Saturday

Please pray for Jeff and Doug as they approach Saturday morning. They have been training for a few months and have to trust that training to get them through the entire 50 miles. It will be physically,mentally, and emotionally challenging. Physically...we all know this will be physically challenging, but Jeff turned his ankle during their trail run a week and a half ago. Please pray for strength for that ankle. Please pray for safety for them as the 13 mile trail section of the course will be leaf covered and most likely wet. Mentally...part of this endurance is a mental challenge as one goes through waves of confidence and lack there of. Please pray for them as they hit those lows. Emotionally...the children in the Good Sam orphanage are the reason these two have been so dedicated to this run. The race is one day for the two of them, but the orphanage building will bless these children for years to come. They will use this motivation when they feel they can't go on. Please pray that God will bring that to the forefront of their thinking throughout the day.
I have complete confidence God will strengthen Jeff's ankle, they will be strong on race day, and that they will finish. God has been so faithful in all of the steps we have taken so far in this journey we are on and I trust completely He will bless this.
Thank you to those who have pledged money for the construction of the orphanage.
Thank you to those who have pledged to be a part of this ministry through prayers and words of encouragement. It is truly humbling to have so many supporting us in this!

To make a tax deductible pledge for the orphanage building:

go to: haiti@denlinger.net

send your:
full name
address
phone number
email
pledge amount

for more information on the project read the "Run the Race...50 miles for Good Samaritan" post

One Week Away!!!

As a was in my car tonight driving to a sporting goods store to buy some trail running shoes, I started to think about the race next weekend and the kids at our orphanage in Haiti.

Before I share those thoughts with you I'll give you some background info. on this weeks past events. Last Friday morning Doug and I went out and did a very hilly 18 mile training run and as a friend from Haiti would say "We Killed it". We both felt good and ended strong. The next morning we were ready to do a 27 mile run on the Appalachian Trail. (side note: when training for a 50 mile race it is very important to do back to back long hard runs so your legs are trained as much as they can be to run for 10 straight hours.) Our legs were feeling good and were both encouraged that we physically felt strong and were ready to take on this final long training run. Then around mile 2 we started to head up a mountain, the trail was completely covered with leaves and it was very difficult to see where and what you were about to step on. Then what I feared was going to happen unfortunately did. I stepped on the side of a rock that was under the leaves and rolled my ankle. At first my adrenaline kicked in and I kept going. I wasn't sure how bad it was until after about another mile of hiking, that's when my adrenaline left and fear set in. Was I done? Was I going to have to drop out of the 50 in two weeks and let the kids down? Was I going to let Doug down? Why did I where my running shoes on this rock infested trail? After hiking about another 2 miles, Deb picked us up along the road and the Advil and icing began.


Now you know why I was driving to a sporting goods store to buy trail running shoes. Which brings me to my thoughts I had in the car. I once heard someone say you have to be "Crazy" to run a Marathon (26.2 miles) but to run an Ultra-Marathon (50 miles) you have to be an "Idiot". Well I not sure about that but when I think of what it's going to take to complete this race, three words come to mind. Perseverance, Survival, and Faith.

Mental and Physical Perseverance. Anyone who is a distance runner knows that it's as much, if not more mental than it is physical. You have to just keeping going no matter how painful it is. To stop is to fail. To quit is to get a DNF (Did not Finish) next to your name when they post the results. You must persevere.

Survival. When you run a Marathon people almost always ask you two questions: "Did you Finish?" and "What was your time?" I haven't run any Ultras yet but I think the question I'll be most asked is "Did you survive?" 50 miles is not about time, it's about surviving it.

Faith. Faith in my training, faith in myself, faith in my brother, and faith that when my strength is gone He will keep me going. He will be there when I have nothing left.

When I was thinking of those three words in my car, it reminded me that they are very fitting to describe the character of 31 very special children in Haiti that I have the privilege to know and am in constant amazement of.

They Persevere. Even though there is about 75% unemployment rate where they live, their noses are buried in the books every night after being in school all day. Most of them are in the top 10% of their class.

They Survive. Sometimes that's what living in Haiti is about. There are days that reaching the end of the day is considered a "Win". Some of the stories that are known about their past are chilling to even think about let alone experience, not to mention the unknown ones.

They have Faith. For those who have been there and have met these kids know it. You can feel it when your with them. God is the only one that can bring that much joy in the mist of so much pain and uncertainty.

So next Saturday I will be thinking of the children of Good Samaritan. What I have to endure for 10 hours they have to endure to live. Someday I pray we can help change that.