Be A Willing Witness

“And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’” Acts 1:8 NKJV

In an astonishing  story posted by Canadian Running yesterday, it was reported that New Zealand ultrarunner Shannon-Leigh Litt finished an ultramarathon every day for 1,000 straight days, completing the streak on Saturday in Whangārei, N.Z., to set a new Guinness World Record (GWR), after running at least 50 kilometres a day since Jan. 1, 2024. Wow, right?

As reported by RNZ, the 47-year-old criminal defence lawyer says she was originally inspired by Australia’s Erchana Murray-Bartlett, who ran a marathon a day for 150 days across Australia in 2022. Litt went through more than 90 pairs of shoes during her run, while navigating challenges such as flooding and extreme temperatures. She also dealt with illness several times, and had to fit the runs around her work.

Litt generally ran 51 km, rather than stopping at the required 50, giving herself a small buffer in case of discrepancies in the GPS measurement she would need to submit for record ratification. Over 1,000 days, that puts her total at more than 51,000 km.

The GWR mark Litt originally set out to break belonged to U.S. ultrarunner Candice Burt, who ran an ultra distance on 200 consecutive days between Nov. 5, 2022 and May 23, 2023 in Boulder, Colo., documenting her journey on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. GWR now lists Litt at 1,000 consecutive days, although its records can take time to be verified.

Simply recording the distance on Strava wasn’t enough. According to RNZ, Litt used two GPS watches, had two witnesses sign off on each run and recorded video at the beginning and end. She also took photos and additional video during the run. In an interview earlier in the streak, Litt said Guinness does not accept Strava files, so her GPS data had to be converted and uploaded separately.

Finding witnesses could be another challenge when she travelled. New Zealand Woman’s Weekly reported that Litt once approached 11 people in Europe before finding someone willing to witness her run.

And, you know, while it might be challenging to find people willing to serve as witnesses to our worldly pursuits, it should never be challenging to find believers who are willing to be witnesses to the saving grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  

You see, when Jesus appeared to the disciples after His resurrection, He was clear that the timing of the restoration of the kingdom to Israel belonged solely to the Father. Jesus then said, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

With these words, Jesus was giving His followers boldness and a blueprint for spreading the Gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit. Instead of relying on their own strength, the disciples were called to be "witnesses"—simply sharing the reality of Jesus's life, death, and resurrection until the day of His return. 

This command served as a geographic and cultural road map that started locally in Jerusalem, expanded regionally into Judea, broke through bitter ethnic and social barriers in Samaria, and ultimately pushed outward to the ends of the earth. For believers today, it remains a timeless reminder that the mission of faith begins right where we are, but it never stops until it reaches everyone.

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

So be a willing witness wherever God calls you to go my friend, knowing that you aren't doing it in your own power but by the power of Holy Spirit that indwells every believer. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that we are called to be witnesses at all times and in all places. Lord, help us to understand that sharing the Good News is a command and not a suggestion. In a world that's growing increasingly hostile to hearing the Gospel, help us to remember that we go and speak in the power of the Holy Spirit and not our own that we might be bold and courageous. It's in Your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!