Track Meet Officials

TRACK MEET OFFICIALS sometimes schedule a race not to determine a winner, but to spur on a record-setting performance. In the 2001 New York Road Runners Club Challenge, the stage was set in the 5,000 meters for Marla Runyan.

Organizers put together a field of four. Three runners would set a fast pace in the early going, and then Marla would try to set a record.

British native Danielle Thornal led the pack through the first eight laps on the 200-meter indoor track. Next Thornal dropped back and Alisa Harvey took over the lead. After 11 laps, Thornal, Harvey, and Gladys Prieur, the other runner, dropped out of the race and left Runyan to run alone.

The race’s rapid opening gave the former San Diego State racer the spark she needed. Despite having no other competition for the last 14 laps, Marla pushed herself to the limit. Sensing a record in the making, the crowd urged Runyan to sprint the final 200 meters. She bolted toward the finish line, completing the final lap in 31.5 seconds.

Runyan, who finished eighth in the 1,500 meters at the 2000 Sydney Games, completed the course in 15:07.33, shattering Lynn Jennings’ American record of 15:22.64. Runyan’s time also represented the sixth-best mark of all time.

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POINT Track stars seldom run their best when they compete alone or in a slow field. Runners need to be pushed to get better. They need solid competition to break records. They need others to ensure success.

The writer of Hebrews understood the importance of other Christians in our life. Encouragement from friends and family inspires confidence in our abilities to love and perform good deeds. Compliments for completing acts of kindness spur us on to do more.

We can make a difference, not just in what we do, but more importantly, in what we inspire others to do. That’s how the Lord planned it.

GOAL! Ask God to help you choose someone or several people who need spurring on in their sport. Write down their names.