“Run in such a way as to get the prize”

One of the more intriguing athletes in Beijing (at least for me) is Ryan Hall, an evangelical Christian and marathoner who owns the record for the fastest 26.2 miles ever run by an American-born citizen (2:06:17). Hall wasn’t a runner until high school, when he says God appeared to him in a vision and told […]

One of the more intriguing athletes in Beijing (at least for me) is Ryan Hall, an evangelical Christian and marathoner who owns the record for the fastest 26.2 miles ever run by an American-born citizen (2:06:17). Hall wasn’t a runner until high school, when he says God appeared to him in a vision and told him to run. The rest, as they say, is history.

The men’s marathon finals are Aug. 23. Between now and then, check out two interesting profiles on Hall. The first, here, appeared in Runner’s World, and gives a good deal of space to Hall’s faith. The second, from the New Yorker, (excerpt here), focuses more on the rise of marathons popularity in the U.S. Interestingly, neither mentions what kind of Christian Hall is, though from context it sounds like he’s evangelical.

Christianity Today names Hall one of the “confessing Christians” most likely to medal in Beijing. Hall and his wife, who is also a competitive runner, plan on being missionaries when they retire.


RNS’ own Philip Turner wrote an article about the spirituality of running last year.

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