Mark has been preparing for the St. George Marathon in
October of this year. He then had
the thought, “I think I should run the SLC Marathon to help prepare me for the
St. George Marathon.” He wanted to
place in his age group and dedicate his efforts to Zach~for Zach’s birthday.
This past Wednesday, we drove up to SLC in order for Mark to
run the SLC Marathon on Thursday.
Thursday 3AM came and I delivered Mark to the buses to be hauled up
Emigration Canyon. I came home and
went back to bed, ha!
Mark began this grueling marathon by having to run downhill. The first 16 miles the elevation dropped
from 7400 feet to 4600 feet, which included a 440 feet rise from about mile 6
to mile 8. The final 10 miles were
a lot of ups and downs winding through the city until the finish at Liberty
Park. It was very windy for the
first several miles, but then got quit hot once he came out of the canyon. At around the 10-mile mark, he began to
feel as if he had rocks in his shoes.
So, he stopped twice, took his shoes and socks off, shook them out, put
them back on and returned to the race.
The pain in his feet persisted, but he was not going to let that stop
him. At about mile 21, Mark hit a
wall, but he pushed on and persevered and finished the race.
I was anxiously awaiting his arrival at the finish
line!!! I saw Mark round the
corner and I was so overcome with emotion. As I carefully watched him, I knew he was physically in
trouble. But with Mark, where
there is a will, there is a way. I
took a couple of photos as he approached the finish. Seeing his ashen face, I knew he was going to need some
medical attention. Despite
drinking at least 2cups of Powerade or water at every aid station, he was so
dehydrated he had to be infused with 2 liters of fluid, via an IV. I left Mom with Mark while I went to
get my car. Upon my return, Mark
took his shoes and socks off to find out “why” his feet were hurting. Upon taking his socks off, he
discovered that he not only had severe blisters on the pads and heels of his
feet, but also that he lost his entire right heel to a blister.
Mark was truly disappointed as he took 5th in his
age bracket (even though the 4 that finished ahead of him were all younger than
him) and 63rd overall out of 329 marathon runners with a time 3 hours and 47
minutes. Honestly, there is NO
shame in these results. As a
matter of fact, every one of us is so proud of him…especially Zach.
Several scriptures come to mind in reflecting Mark’s
particular journey on Thursday.
Psalms 23:4
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy
rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
I think Mark probably felt as if he was in the “valley of
the shadow of death,” yet he persevered and conquered.
3 Nephi 15:9:
“Behold, I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end,
and ye shall live; for
unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life.”
The sky was a beautiful blue, yet it was searing hot in the
sun. Mark traversed those roads
despite the elements and endured to the end…to the end of the race.
And as in 3 Nephi 31:20:
“Wherefore, ye
must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall
press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end,
behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal
life.”
Mark pressed forward through dehydration, shin splints, and
blisters bigger than the state of Texas (okay… a little exaggeration
there). He had hope that there was
an end to that race and it was with that hope he endured to the bitter end. And at the end of his race, there
was relief, there was nourishment, and there was the love of his family~who was
cheering him every step of the way.
Family, isn’t that what
this life is all about? I am truly
grateful for my family~they ARE my heart. You DID it Mark!!!
