I have admired the races more than the racers. Perhaps because it draws so much out of people of different capabilities and backgrounds. Some with more natural talent... some with just raw courage... some... who knows? I liked to run, but asthma has been an issue nearly all my life and then a major head injury when I was six years old did not help me any. But I learned lessons in the races that I was in, even though I never won. One of my greatest memories was at a Meade County Rally Day at Woodle Field in Sturgis. I do not know how many of us boys were entered, but I remember well who placed first and who placed last. I was somewhere in the middle. First place went to one of two brothers that was entered in the race. He did so quite handily.

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But that was not the highlight of my memory of that spring day. The individual that placed last was the other brother. Yes, the brother of the boy that won first. Irony...perhaps? But what stands out to me, to this day, is the excitement of the brother that place last. The last 30 yards of the race, all I could hear were shouts of excitement from behind me. The "last place brother" was shouting, "Mom, he won, he won. Yahoo, he won, he won!"

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The lesson... Who was the real winner that day in May so many years ago...

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A man that that I adime has been Eric Liddel (Olympic athlete and missionary) - Main character in "Chariots of Fire"

"The secret of my success over the 400 meters is that I run the first 200 meters as fast as I can. Then, for the second 200 meters, with God's help, I run faster."