"Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain." Isaiah 40:4
There are 5280 feet in a mile. And depending on your gender and pace, it could take anywhere from 1064 steps to 2,301 steps to travel that distance. But you will learn after running the Hospital Hill Half Marathon that all miles, regardless of being alike in distance, are not created equal. The course here is, true to it's name, full of hills... many large ones actually. The race route takes the runners by some of the highlights of Kansas City including the Power & Light District, the Sprint Center, The Kansas City Star Building, Hospital Hall and many more before ending where it began at Crown Center.
Saturday, some of my friends and I gathered to run the 42nd annual Hospital Hill Run in Kansas City. By the 7:00 a.m. start, the humidity was close to 90% and the temperature climbing making the first few miles memorable. Within an hour, the rain came along with a little lightning. Now that will put a pep in your step! But, praise God, the cooler temps made for a very nice second half of the run and made the remaining hills seem a bit more friendly. I love everything about this race! From the course, to the volunteers, and especially the spectators, this half marathon is one of my very favorites. The icing on the cake? Great post race snacks, atmosphere and HHR flip-flops for all the finishers. Oh, and did I tell you that the medals were amazing as well? Many thanks to the volunteers and organizers of this race for giving us great memories of June 6, 2015!!
Just as in this race, there are many times in life when we feel like there are nothing but hills to climb... one after another after another. We might even wonder if we will ever reach the end. Take heart, the bible tells us that there will be a day when every valley shall be raised up and every mountain and hill made low. For those that persevere and finish the race, Hebrews 3:14 gives us this promise, " For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ." You just have to finish... one step at a time.
Heavenly Father, thank you for the many blessings you have given us. Thank you that, through TEAM 413, we can run the good race sharing the message of your salvation with every step. Help us to never tire of the command you have given us to go and make disciples of all nations. Give us strength to overcome the hills along our path and compassion to help others do the same. Let us always surrender our will to yours Lord no matter the cost. And let others see You in us both on the racecourse and off. It's in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
www.team413.org
Through it all - Spoken
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