The day after the NYC Marathon I received an email from New York Road runners congratulating me on completing the Marathon on Sunday. It said this “You are incredible—a champion in your own right! Then it goes on to say “we hope the moment of pure elation will stay with you forever”. A week later I must admit it has stayed with me in many ways. Running a marathon is not just about completing the race, there is so much more to learn about oneself. There is a sense of achievement coupled with the ability to overcome adversity, so deeply rewarding 
Running the NYC Marathon was a truly amazing experience and as I think back to the start of the race when we stood waiting for the gun, I remember talking to a very nervous young man for whom this was his first marathon, I reassured him that having done the training all he needed to do was pace himself. I learnt that he was born and bred in Brooklyn and for him it was a lifelong ambition to join the thousands he had watched as he grew up. The marathon he said had changed the lives of many Brooklyners. I realise that Brooklyn is a big part of the New York culture, the food, the music, the fashion it has become a very popular place to hangout for people across the social spectrum. It took two miles across the Verrazona Narrows Bridge before we saw the welcome to Brooklyn sign and with that the support of the crowd was immense, my name on my top people showed their support by shouting words such as go girl, looking good, doing well this continued into Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx back to Manhattan for the Finish. I felt as though I had made a huge number of friends along the way, so humbling to see people supporting one another from different walks of life. I won’t forget miles 22-24 when fatigue set in and as struggled to keep pace, a gentleman in the crowd looked at me and shouted dig deep Janet. I wonder how well the Christian journey reflects the kind of love for humanity through the eyes of Jesus Christ for people we know let alone those we don’t know. In his book Everything Belongs the author Richard Rohr says “The ability to respect the outsider is probably the litmus test of true seeing. Everything becomes enchanting with true sight. One God, one world, one truth, one suffering and one love. All we can do is participate”.
It’s not normal to get down on one’s knees to start a marathon that’s usually reserved for the sprinters among us of which I am not one. But even before lining up at the start I want to thank God for the opportunity to be amongst 47,000 people 
