Here you will find reports on the Run for Missions 2009 from each of the 100 Mile Participants in the Run as well as others.
TIM MARSHALL (age 25, Wichita, KS, Rose Hill Friends Church)
ADAM MONAGHAN
The second annual Run for Missions was a great success! The enthusiasm and support expressed by everyone involved has led to a growing excitement for next year’s run and a vision for our Church supporting missions like never before!
I ran together with Tim Marshall the first 85 miles and then was joined by several Barclay people to help me finish the last 19 miles. Tim and I ran together alone the first 21 and then were joined by Gabe Hancock, who ran with us through mile 71. With a slightly different strategy from last year, Allen Smelser got off to a 5:00 am early start, while Tim and I left at 6:30 am from the Starting Line/Friends Ministry Center Office at 2018 W. Maple in Wichita. We made it to the west edge of Wichita before the sun came up and finally warmed us up from the low in the high 30s. The day time temps were very comfortable of mid 50s with some sun. Around the 25 mile mark we ate chicken noodle soup and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on the run, of course. Sometime around mile 35 Tim and I caught up to Allen Smelser and stayed together for almost a couple hours or so before separating.
We made it almost all the way to mile 60 before the sun went down at around 7:00 pm. This is where the road turns from pavement to dirt. The next 20 miles from the Pratt county line into the city of Pratt are very dark, with lots of turns to follow the carefully pre-determined route. Tim and I actually made it to the edge of Pratt before 1:00 am (81 miles). I had almost no nausea this year and no real excuses to go too slowly. Our pacers and crew were awesome and so incredibly helpful and encouraging. The legs begin to get pretty achy and stiff around 75 miles or so but there is really nothing you can do about that. Miles 80 to 95 were probably the toughest part. I kept a pretty steady pace with my pacer Marc Compton on the dirt road between Pratt and Cullison as I would run 2-4 power poles then walk one. I kept that up until the Breakfast Burritos came and then I scarfed them down, fuel to finish the last 8 miles into town.
As I was running with my friend Josh Bunce, approaching the last few blocks into Haviland, I was overcome with emotion and cried as I ran, being physically spent 100% or more. Moreover, I was overwhelmed with gratefulness thinking of all those who help make the Run for Missions possible: the Crew, Pacers, other Runners, and most important of all the Donors (the “Great Cloud of Witnesses” Hebrews 12)! As of early November, we’ve raised $16,250 in donations and pledges and I really hope to bring in a lot more before the end of the year (remember our goal is $25,000).
We have asked that all the pledges and gifts be made by November 16th (which is still true!) but they will still be accepted through the end of the year! Technically, 32 less people have given this year than last but they’ve given over $3,000 more total this year than last year. I guess the Run for Missions is not over yet until the fundraising is done.
We all crossed the finish line together at 10:30 am on Tuesday morning to a great and friendly crowd of donors, supporters, friends, and college students. This Ceremonial finish line crossing is very helpful in the fundraising process!
Next year I am planning in addition to the Run for Missions 100+ mile run, to direct a Run for Missions 5K/10K right there in Haviland starting and ending at Barclay College. In addition, we are working on ideas for relay options to cover the 100 miles like 50 miles x 2, 25 x 4 or 10 x 10, etc. More details coming soon…
Adam finished the 103.9 mile run in 24 hours and 11 minutes and 40 seconds. His goal was sub 24 hours so he only finished 11 minutes off his goal. He hopes to finish in less than 23 hours in the Run for Missions in 2010. Adam accidentally started running about six years ago as a student at Barclay College and hasn’t been able to stop since!
ALLEN SMELSER Allen is an experienced Ultra-Marathon runner and 100 mile finisher. His wife Nancy is the key to Allen's running career and her secret recipe of "Power Cookies" that she makes to fuel the run.
GABE HANCOCK – 50 MILE RUNNER/PACER
I started the day not fully prepared to run with Adam Monaghan and Tim Marshall. I had just run a tough Marathon the previous weekend and was a little worn out on running. I just wasn’t feeling like a capable pacer for the guys. But I knew I had to do it because 1) I promised Adam I would run at least 31 miles and 2) I knew this would be a great opportunity to get to know Tim better (a member of the church I serve at). (Adam does the “number list-thing” a lot during our runs, ha ha!)
As soon as I started running at their mile-21, things completely changed. To see the smiles on their faces and a beautiful day to run, it became very enjoyable. I quickly forgot about all my responsibilities and started thinking of my purpose in Running for Missions. My goal was to ask how they were feeling every so often and do anything else to ease their run. I was able to carry Adam’s camel-pack for him for most of the run to ease his load.
After many miles, we started looking forward to seeing the “mobile aid station” – a white church van filled with all kinds of food and necessities commuted by Jesse Penna, Katie Marshall (Tim’s wife) and Matt Macy later in the day, and then Frank Penna from midnight to daylight. We realized that the day was like a big party for Missions! We talked, we ate as much food as we could, and people stopped by to see how we were doing, which was a great encouragement!
It was at Adam and Tim’s mile-50 when I knew it would be hard to leave them. Their attitudes were so positive because they were making such great time (about 10 hours and 30 minutes) and feeling so good at this halfway mark. I felt like I had some part in helping them get there feeling so well. So I stuck around and kept going with them. We fought off dogs, befriended “Lady” the German shepherd (when ran 6 miles for Missions with us), and kept putting down party food (Sloppy-joes was the funniest experience) to fuel our run.
Then it got dark and cold. I tried my best to stay positive because I was just the pacer guy. I hadn’t totaled 50 miles yet and they were almost a marathon ahead in mileage. During my last mile (My mile 50, their mile 71), I pushed ahead to finish strong and put in the guys’ requests at the Aid Station Van. I had a feeling of accomplishment when I finished, but I also felt incomplete too. Because it wasn’t about me, I felt unaccomplished until the guys could cross the finish line of 100+ miles.
I was so glad that I got to run as far as I did. It was hard to leave them that night, knowing that I would go to sleep and they would still be running (I slept worse than ever that night). The longer it has been since the run, the more I realize how cool the “Run for Missions” is (I tried to think of a better word to use than cool but couldn’t, maybe special, blessed, good?). I’m not sure I would have understood without running in it. I am so blessed to get to be apart of something that can one day soon impact the support to ultimately spread the Gospel.
Gabe finished 50 miles in less than 13 hours, running with Adam and Tim and others. His longest run ever prior to the Run for Missions was 26.2 miles.
TIM MARSHALL (age 25, Wichita, KS, Rose Hill Friends Church)
The reason why I ran is because I felt like the Lord was telling me to. I remember seeing the little pamphlet in church and thinking it would be challenging. Every Sunday it kept calling out to me, I felt like the Lord was calling me to do it. So I committed to doing it and said I'd go the whole way. My wife and I wanted to do something more for the church and be more involved and we have always felt like my running is a blessing and I have always wanted to do something with my running.
I thought it was going to be a lot easier than it actually was. The pace was slower than I was used to and the mileage was crazy high. It was cold, so right from the start my legs did not feel good. The first five miles my legs were freezing. I thought maybe eventually they will warm up and then everything will be fine but that wasn't the case. At first, I thought, ‘This pace is really easy this is going to be a piece of cake' and the first 20 miles were pretty comfortable. A little bit after that Gabe joined us and that was nice. It was good to see a new face and Gabe is the Associate Pastor at my church so I knew this was a perfect opportunity to get to know him more.
At this time my legs still were not warming up and I felt like they really needed to be stretched out. I was getting sore, but I still thought it would eventually go away. I didn't know what to think about pain 'cause this was my first time ever doing something like this. Everything was new to me. It was my first time running with chicken noodle soup, running eating cookies, and running drinking pop.
Around mile 45 my leg pain went up to a 6 on the pain scale. I still felt I needed to stretch them out. The pain went in and out. I asked Adam and he said, "you’re gonna have to get used to the pain"!
The pain kept up all the way to about mile 85 and by that time I went through about my 5th injury. Both of my thighs killed me, my Achilles hurt, the top of my right foot hurt, and I was started getting a shin splint in my right leg. Running on the pavement for 60 miles took all of the energy out of my legs and just killed me.
Around mile 50 I didn't know if I was going to make it the whole hundred miles. I could hardly walk. The pain was already a 10 on the pain scale.
At mile 68, everything started going down hill. I couldn't even step on my left foot it hurt so bad. I was in so much pain I couldn't even run a 12 minute mile pace and if I did I felt like I was sprinting. I didn't think I was going to finish but just deep down I knew I had to because I had already gone 68 miles and that is a long way not to go the whole hundred. I knew I wouldn't have this opportunity again—so I just kept pressing on trying to stay with the pack.
Around 70 miles I was so sore my legs would lock up to the point I couldn't bend my knees. I ran stiff legged and every time we stopped for a break or to walk a hill, the pain just grew. I stopped talking and tried to save my energy.
At 70-75 miles Adam told me to just keep on walking through the check stops because I was lagging and dropping off the pack. I said to myself, 'There's no way in the world I'm going to finish this, I'm under trained and my legs aren't capable’, but I just kept moving.
Reaching Pratt was the lowest part of my night. We were back on concrete and every single injury I had accrued during the run flared up at the same time. I had never felt that much pain in my life. It was a 15 on the 1-10 pain scale, and sometimes I just wanted to cry. I was in over my head. I knew I had to get through Pratt and back on dirt and hopefully the soft dirt would help me.
At this point I was so sore and tired that if the ground was a little unleveled I would almost fall over. Actually one of the pacers from Barclay thought he was going to have to catch me. If I would have fallen over I probably would have stopped running.
Once we got to the end of Pratt I knew at this point I was going to finish. I told my wife Katie, "If I have to crawl across the finish line I will finish. Once we got on the dirt I knew I had to open my stride I had felt that the whole time and I knew that was the only way my legs were going to feel better. At this point I stopped making the check points. I tried to pick up pace. It was really sore at first but then my legs started to feel better and I got so excited that my legs finally weren't hurting so I took off. With 14 miles left I started running faster and faster, sometimes too fast because I would get sore again then have to slow down. But it wasn't the same soreness and about a mile later I could go fast again.
I had one of the best pace setters ever who ran with me for the entire last 26 miles-Luke from Barclay College. He's about 5'2, 100 lbs and he would just float ahead of me. He is the only reason I went the pace I did toward the end. If he wasn't there I really feel like I wouldn't have finished so I’m really thankful for Luke, and all of Adam’s help and support, and all the pacers. We couldn't have done it without them! It was really amazing to see God working though everyone because some of these kids longest runs before might have been 2 miles and they ended up running 20 or more.
The last 14 miles was my strongest part of the whole hundred. Before that I struggled for about 85 miles of pure pain and I still do not know how I made it through. I just thank the Lord He’s the one that helped me make it through.
I absolutely hated my last 5 miles because I could see Haviland and the College and it was never coming too me. It was staying still. I was running my heart out and it felt like it was getting further away. The only thing that helped me out at this point was the breakfast burritos that Kay from Haviland brought out to us. They were so great! They helped me the rest of the way.
Some other parts that really helped me was my wife who ran next to me a couple miles and one of the miles she sang 'Eye of the Tiger' and that was right before I got my 4th wind and started taking off. I really don't know what we would have done with out her. I'm so glad she came because we would have been lost with out her.
I just loved every person that helped out with this and I just remember Jesse Penna always doing the Mexican yell out the window, and the first time I heard it and thought that's kind of weird, and then in at 1:00 am in Pratt when I heard it again, it just made me perk up, and I thought 'That is the best voice I've ever heard in my life', and 'I'm so glad he's back'!
Adam said 'This is a party -it just keeps getting bigger'. That was so true and I loved it. Another special point was when Jesse ran a mile with me and he and his dad, Frank, were so excited for me as I was feeling better after struggling so much. Their support took me home.
Katie always said I should find better friends and I agreed and I felt like I made a lot of great friendships during this run that will last. But I think next time I'm going to find an easier way to make friends!
After I finished the race I had no emotion. I was way too tired. It was way too much for me to handle so I just kind of went blank for about half an hour. I didn't start getting emotional until about 8 hours after finishing. I've been paralyzed waste down for about two days now after the run and that just tells me I was way under trained and maybe next year I will run more than 30 miles a week a month before the Run for Missions. But I'm definitely going to be a part of this next year and the rest of my life. Thanks for letting me be a part of this and I pray we raise all of the money and a little more. Thank you
Tim Marshall’s finishing time was 23 hours and 37 minutes, finishing at 6:03 am on Tuesday morning. Tim had never run more than 20 miles before the Run for Missions.
I thought it was going to be a lot easier than it actually was. The pace was slower than I was used to and the mileage was crazy high. It was cold, so right from the start my legs did not feel good. The first five miles my legs were freezing. I thought maybe eventually they will warm up and then everything will be fine but that wasn't the case. At first, I thought, ‘This pace is really easy this is going to be a piece of cake' and the first 20 miles were pretty comfortable. A little bit after that Gabe joined us and that was nice. It was good to see a new face and Gabe is the Associate Pastor at my church so I knew this was a perfect opportunity to get to know him more.
At this time my legs still were not warming up and I felt like they really needed to be stretched out. I was getting sore, but I still thought it would eventually go away. I didn't know what to think about pain 'cause this was my first time ever doing something like this. Everything was new to me. It was my first time running with chicken noodle soup, running eating cookies, and running drinking pop.
Around mile 45 my leg pain went up to a 6 on the pain scale. I still felt I needed to stretch them out. The pain went in and out. I asked Adam and he said, "you’re gonna have to get used to the pain"!
The pain kept up all the way to about mile 85 and by that time I went through about my 5th injury. Both of my thighs killed me, my Achilles hurt, the top of my right foot hurt, and I was started getting a shin splint in my right leg. Running on the pavement for 60 miles took all of the energy out of my legs and just killed me.
Around mile 50 I didn't know if I was going to make it the whole hundred miles. I could hardly walk. The pain was already a 10 on the pain scale.
At mile 68, everything started going down hill. I couldn't even step on my left foot it hurt so bad. I was in so much pain I couldn't even run a 12 minute mile pace and if I did I felt like I was sprinting. I didn't think I was going to finish but just deep down I knew I had to because I had already gone 68 miles and that is a long way not to go the whole hundred. I knew I wouldn't have this opportunity again—so I just kept pressing on trying to stay with the pack.
Around 70 miles I was so sore my legs would lock up to the point I couldn't bend my knees. I ran stiff legged and every time we stopped for a break or to walk a hill, the pain just grew. I stopped talking and tried to save my energy.
At 70-75 miles Adam told me to just keep on walking through the check stops because I was lagging and dropping off the pack. I said to myself, 'There's no way in the world I'm going to finish this, I'm under trained and my legs aren't capable’, but I just kept moving.
Reaching Pratt was the lowest part of my night. We were back on concrete and every single injury I had accrued during the run flared up at the same time. I had never felt that much pain in my life. It was a 15 on the 1-10 pain scale, and sometimes I just wanted to cry. I was in over my head. I knew I had to get through Pratt and back on dirt and hopefully the soft dirt would help me.
At this point I was so sore and tired that if the ground was a little unleveled I would almost fall over. Actually one of the pacers from Barclay thought he was going to have to catch me. If I would have fallen over I probably would have stopped running.
Once we got to the end of Pratt I knew at this point I was going to finish. I told my wife Katie, "If I have to crawl across the finish line I will finish. Once we got on the dirt I knew I had to open my stride I had felt that the whole time and I knew that was the only way my legs were going to feel better. At this point I stopped making the check points. I tried to pick up pace. It was really sore at first but then my legs started to feel better and I got so excited that my legs finally weren't hurting so I took off. With 14 miles left I started running faster and faster, sometimes too fast because I would get sore again then have to slow down. But it wasn't the same soreness and about a mile later I could go fast again.
I had one of the best pace setters ever who ran with me for the entire last 26 miles-Luke from Barclay College. He's about 5'2, 100 lbs and he would just float ahead of me. He is the only reason I went the pace I did toward the end. If he wasn't there I really feel like I wouldn't have finished so I’m really thankful for Luke, and all of Adam’s help and support, and all the pacers. We couldn't have done it without them! It was really amazing to see God working though everyone because some of these kids longest runs before might have been 2 miles and they ended up running 20 or more.
The last 14 miles was my strongest part of the whole hundred. Before that I struggled for about 85 miles of pure pain and I still do not know how I made it through. I just thank the Lord He’s the one that helped me make it through.
I absolutely hated my last 5 miles because I could see Haviland and the College and it was never coming too me. It was staying still. I was running my heart out and it felt like it was getting further away. The only thing that helped me out at this point was the breakfast burritos that Kay from Haviland brought out to us. They were so great! They helped me the rest of the way.
Some other parts that really helped me was my wife who ran next to me a couple miles and one of the miles she sang 'Eye of the Tiger' and that was right before I got my 4th wind and started taking off. I really don't know what we would have done with out her. I'm so glad she came because we would have been lost with out her.
I just loved every person that helped out with this and I just remember Jesse Penna always doing the Mexican yell out the window, and the first time I heard it and thought that's kind of weird, and then in at 1:00 am in Pratt when I heard it again, it just made me perk up, and I thought 'That is the best voice I've ever heard in my life', and 'I'm so glad he's back'!
Adam said 'This is a party -it just keeps getting bigger'. That was so true and I loved it. Another special point was when Jesse ran a mile with me and he and his dad, Frank, were so excited for me as I was feeling better after struggling so much. Their support took me home.
Katie always said I should find better friends and I agreed and I felt like I made a lot of great friendships during this run that will last. But I think next time I'm going to find an easier way to make friends!
After I finished the race I had no emotion. I was way too tired. It was way too much for me to handle so I just kind of went blank for about half an hour. I didn't start getting emotional until about 8 hours after finishing. I've been paralyzed waste down for about two days now after the run and that just tells me I was way under trained and maybe next year I will run more than 30 miles a week a month before the Run for Missions. But I'm definitely going to be a part of this next year and the rest of my life. Thanks for letting me be a part of this and I pray we raise all of the money and a little more. Thank you
Tim Marshall’s finishing time was 23 hours and 37 minutes, finishing at 6:03 am on Tuesday morning. Tim had never run more than 20 miles before the Run for Missions.
ADAM MONAGHAN
The second annual Run for Missions was a great success! The enthusiasm and support expressed by everyone involved has led to a growing excitement for next year’s run and a vision for our Church supporting missions like never before!
I ran together with Tim Marshall the first 85 miles and then was joined by several Barclay people to help me finish the last 19 miles. Tim and I ran together alone the first 21 and then were joined by Gabe Hancock, who ran with us through mile 71. With a slightly different strategy from last year, Allen Smelser got off to a 5:00 am early start, while Tim and I left at 6:30 am from the Starting Line/Friends Ministry Center Office at 2018 W. Maple in Wichita. We made it to the west edge of Wichita before the sun came up and finally warmed us up from the low in the high 30s. The day time temps were very comfortable of mid 50s with some sun. Around the 25 mile mark we ate chicken noodle soup and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on the run, of course. Sometime around mile 35 Tim and I caught up to Allen Smelser and stayed together for almost a couple hours or so before separating.
We made it almost all the way to mile 60 before the sun went down at around 7:00 pm. This is where the road turns from pavement to dirt. The next 20 miles from the Pratt county line into the city of Pratt are very dark, with lots of turns to follow the carefully pre-determined route. Tim and I actually made it to the edge of Pratt before 1:00 am (81 miles). I had almost no nausea this year and no real excuses to go too slowly. Our pacers and crew were awesome and so incredibly helpful and encouraging. The legs begin to get pretty achy and stiff around 75 miles or so but there is really nothing you can do about that. Miles 80 to 95 were probably the toughest part. I kept a pretty steady pace with my pacer Marc Compton on the dirt road between Pratt and Cullison as I would run 2-4 power poles then walk one. I kept that up until the Breakfast Burritos came and then I scarfed them down, fuel to finish the last 8 miles into town.
As I was running with my friend Josh Bunce, approaching the last few blocks into Haviland, I was overcome with emotion and cried as I ran, being physically spent 100% or more. Moreover, I was overwhelmed with gratefulness thinking of all those who help make the Run for Missions possible: the Crew, Pacers, other Runners, and most important of all the Donors (the “Great Cloud of Witnesses” Hebrews 12)! As of early November, we’ve raised $16,250 in donations and pledges and I really hope to bring in a lot more before the end of the year (remember our goal is $25,000).
We have asked that all the pledges and gifts be made by November 16th (which is still true!) but they will still be accepted through the end of the year! Technically, 32 less people have given this year than last but they’ve given over $3,000 more total this year than last year. I guess the Run for Missions is not over yet until the fundraising is done.
We all crossed the finish line together at 10:30 am on Tuesday morning to a great and friendly crowd of donors, supporters, friends, and college students. This Ceremonial finish line crossing is very helpful in the fundraising process!
Next year I am planning in addition to the Run for Missions 100+ mile run, to direct a Run for Missions 5K/10K right there in Haviland starting and ending at Barclay College. In addition, we are working on ideas for relay options to cover the 100 miles like 50 miles x 2, 25 x 4 or 10 x 10, etc. More details coming soon…
Adam finished the 103.9 mile run in 24 hours and 11 minutes and 40 seconds. His goal was sub 24 hours so he only finished 11 minutes off his goal. He hopes to finish in less than 23 hours in the Run for Missions in 2010. Adam accidentally started running about six years ago as a student at Barclay College and hasn’t been able to stop since!
ALLEN SMELSER Allen is an experienced Ultra-Marathon runner and 100 mile finisher. His wife Nancy is the key to Allen's running career and her secret recipe of "Power Cookies" that she makes to fuel the run.
GABE HANCOCK – 50 MILE RUNNER/PACER
I started the day not fully prepared to run with Adam Monaghan and Tim Marshall. I had just run a tough Marathon the previous weekend and was a little worn out on running. I just wasn’t feeling like a capable pacer for the guys. But I knew I had to do it because 1) I promised Adam I would run at least 31 miles and 2) I knew this would be a great opportunity to get to know Tim better (a member of the church I serve at). (Adam does the “number list-thing” a lot during our runs, ha ha!)
As soon as I started running at their mile-21, things completely changed. To see the smiles on their faces and a beautiful day to run, it became very enjoyable. I quickly forgot about all my responsibilities and started thinking of my purpose in Running for Missions. My goal was to ask how they were feeling every so often and do anything else to ease their run. I was able to carry Adam’s camel-pack for him for most of the run to ease his load.
After many miles, we started looking forward to seeing the “mobile aid station” – a white church van filled with all kinds of food and necessities commuted by Jesse Penna, Katie Marshall (Tim’s wife) and Matt Macy later in the day, and then Frank Penna from midnight to daylight. We realized that the day was like a big party for Missions! We talked, we ate as much food as we could, and people stopped by to see how we were doing, which was a great encouragement!
It was at Adam and Tim’s mile-50 when I knew it would be hard to leave them. Their attitudes were so positive because they were making such great time (about 10 hours and 30 minutes) and feeling so good at this halfway mark. I felt like I had some part in helping them get there feeling so well. So I stuck around and kept going with them. We fought off dogs, befriended “Lady” the German shepherd (when ran 6 miles for Missions with us), and kept putting down party food (Sloppy-joes was the funniest experience) to fuel our run.
Then it got dark and cold. I tried my best to stay positive because I was just the pacer guy. I hadn’t totaled 50 miles yet and they were almost a marathon ahead in mileage. During my last mile (My mile 50, their mile 71), I pushed ahead to finish strong and put in the guys’ requests at the Aid Station Van. I had a feeling of accomplishment when I finished, but I also felt incomplete too. Because it wasn’t about me, I felt unaccomplished until the guys could cross the finish line of 100+ miles.
I was so glad that I got to run as far as I did. It was hard to leave them that night, knowing that I would go to sleep and they would still be running (I slept worse than ever that night). The longer it has been since the run, the more I realize how cool the “Run for Missions” is (I tried to think of a better word to use than cool but couldn’t, maybe special, blessed, good?). I’m not sure I would have understood without running in it. I am so blessed to get to be apart of something that can one day soon impact the support to ultimately spread the Gospel.
Gabe finished 50 miles in less than 13 hours, running with Adam and Tim and others. His longest run ever prior to the Run for Missions was 26.2 miles.
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