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Have you heard of Ryan Hall? I hadn’t, until this profile appeared in the latest Runner’s World. Hall is the top U.S. medal hope in the marathon at this year’s Olympics. Hall’s qualifier at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials was the fastest in American history, and his time of 2:09:02 was a trials record. Even more impressive? That marathon was only the second one Hall had ever run. Seriously. Dude was barely a marathoner when he qualified to lead the U.S. Olympic team in a race of that distance. Now he’s America’s best hope for a medal in a competition we no longer come close to dominating.
Hall is a devout Christian, as he very clearly shares in the article, and he says he runs because God told him to. (Sidenote: I’m really, really glad God hasn’t told me to run marathons.) Hall approaches his sport like Brother Lawrence approached dishwashing — as an opportunity to pray and worship while doing something mundane. If, by mundane, you mean setting crazy-good benchmarks in a grueling athletic event.
Read the article, then look for Ryan Hall in Beijing.
August 5th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
I first started walking as a way to get out and have prayer time. Kind of my own “prayer closet”. He is amazing that he is can pray and worship while running a marathon. The only thing I would be praying for is to not pass out and die!
Can’t wait to follow Ryan in the Olympics. I can’t for the Olympics to start!
August 9th, 2008 at 11:49 am
i still cant believe this guy has only been running marathons for a year. cra.zee. i’ll have to keep my eye on the tv schedule to see when he’s running…