Olympic Dropout

The final miles of the marathon. The descent from the mountaintop. The final ten miles of a century ride. The delivery after you’ve closed the deal.

These are the moments that really count. There have been many who have started a truly great race and showed some promise but it isn’t how you start that ever truly counts…it is how you finish that matters and it is how you finish that that brings the reward.

In the 2004 Athens Women’s Marathon, Paula Radcliffe was favored to win, and she looked the part in the beginning. She was the one setting the pace and continued to do so up until mile 17. At this point Paula Radcliffe showed signs of weakening and by mile 21 she had dropped out of the race.

Of course everybody can have a bad race or a bad day and to focus on one event for one athlete is really unfair. But history nearly repeated itself in 2008. Again Radcliffe helped set the pace early on, leading the international pack of contenders for the gold…but this time Radcliffe did finish the race…although it in was 23rd place.

Although she is a world record holder in the marathon, her performances in the Olympics are not very memorable. One has to wonder why somebody with the obvious talent and ability can’t seem to perform in the Olympic arena? And it really doesn’t matter how well she sets the pace in the beginning…there are no medals for that. It is all about who crosses that finish line first.

Many of us are running our own Olympic Marathon in one sense or another. For many it isn’t just a matter of whether we get a medal or not…it is a matter of surviving…in the sense of how we see survival. It is a matter of staying in the race, fighting for the finish.

The truth is Paula Radcliffe learned a valuable lesson in 2004. She learned the difference between dropping out of such a high profile race and fighting to stick with it and finishing. Her 2008 finish wasn’t quite as inspirational as it would have been if she had fought to the finish in 2004. In 2004 she would have been perceived as somewhat of a heroic athlete pushing through just to finish…in 2008 it was viewed as trying to avoid another Olympic dropout.

Whatever race you are in right now…if it is worth running, run it well. Don’t drop out; and keep running until you cross the finish line. Don’t let up and don’t give in.

2 Timothy 4:7-8 – “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

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