Rob Colquhoun

Marathon training is a period where your mind can be particularly pensive as you train. In fact marathons are intensely theological dramas. Very good runners can complete a marathon in 3 hours- the same amount of time Jesus spent on the cross. Through suffering and pain we can accomplish good through fundraising just as Christ redeemed mankind by suffering on the cross. As Jesus became thirsty on the cross so do runners as they need to quench their thirst. St Paul calls us to run the good race- aspiring for the wreath that never fades- a suitable analogy for runners. But overall, the eschatological anticipation of aspiring to finish the race… the realisation that it will be over but not quite yet is the realised eschatology that Christians accept- that the Kingdom of God is present but it is not fully realised yet. But as Pierre de Coubertin (founder of Olympic games) famously once said, “the important thing in is not the winning but the taking part.”