Teresa Thomas said the only time she thought running was appropriate was running from danger.
Today, thanks to a Christian-based program developed by a man in her church, the Dalton, Ga., resident runs four miles three days a week and recently completed her first 5K race.
“I couldn’t run to the end of the driveway,” said Mrs. Thomas, 50, director of children’s ministries at Grove Level Baptist Church. “I admired those who ran, but I never saw myself as a runner.”
Run for God, a program developed by Mitchell Hollis of Dalton, is a practical guide to running with has a primary goal of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.
“I felt called to do something more,” he said. “I was searching on the Internet (for material) to do a class in my church that parallels endurance and faith, but I couldn’t find anything. So I had to come up with the material off the cuff.”
The training guide Mr. Hollis and his wife put together, “Run for God: The 5K Challenge,” will be published in June by the CrossBooks division of LifeWay Christian Resources.
The first 12-week class he conducted for his church had 66 graduates, all of whom ran the recent Chickamauga Chase 5K race.
Mrs. Thomas said she decided to take the class in order to be more healthy, because several of the children she shepherds were going to do it and to use the course as a witnessing tool.
“I was not totally sold on it,” she said. “I was not in (good) physical condition. But (Mr. Hollis) told me if I would stick with it, I would be able to do it.”
The training regimen, according to Mrs. Thomas, allowed her to tell curious people how it relates to her daily Christian walk and how God uses people as they are.
“It opened so many doors,” she said.
Mr. Hollis, 32, a runner for four years, said running has several parallels with the Christian faith.
“It takes commitment, dedication and it’s hard,” he said. “It’s the same thing with faith.”
The Dalton developer said he had a desire well before putting together the study to be more outspoken about his own faith.
“I’m not very good at sharing my faith,” he said.
Mr. Hollis said his first step was to have some T-shirts made with the words “Run for God” and an admittedly amateurish running stick figure.
“If I went to races, if I was running down Cleveland Highway,” he said, “people were going to ask. It forced me to get out of my comfort zone. It opened the door for someone like me.”
Eventually, Mr. Hollis put together the study with resources available from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and other sources. Each class is part Bible study, part beginner running tips.
The Bible study is based many of the Apostle Paul’s writings, while the running material includes things such as advice about shoes, Christian music for one’s mp3 player and race etiquette.
When people suggested Mr. Hollis publish it, though he knew nothing about the publishing business, doors seemed to open automatically, he said.
In checking with the sources of his material, none refused permission to have it included it in his guide. Then CrossBooks, the first publisher he turned to, offered him a deal in two hours.
Now, Mr. Hollis said, several other churches have agreed to do their own studies, and many more locally and across the country are considering it.
Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church in Dalton will offer the course beginning in July.
Church member Jason Denson, 33, who will lead the study, said when many people attend church for the first time, it’s often assumed “they’re already prepared for the marathon of life.”
Instead, he said, “they haven’t even prepared for it.”
Similarly, Mr. Denson said, many runners think nothing of spending time honing their physical bodies but neglect their spiritual training.
“It’s a really good entry level course,” he said. “You come in on the ground level and learn how to properly do things.”
GET INVOLVED
To learn more about Run for God, visit www.runforgod.com.