Your fiercest running rival.
Sandy’s thoughts:
Identify your running rival
In the 35 years that I was involved in education, award ceremonies often left me a little sad. Don’t get me wrong. The recipients of awards deserve the accolades for the outstanding work they produce. But, there are also many children who try their very best, yet miss out on awards. You can only award one winner per category. That, as they say, is life.
1 Corinthians 9:24 tells us that we all run the race, so we should run in such a way as to obtain the prize. The reality is that only one runner receives the prize. Then why race? We have to race against other runners don’t we? Otherwise, it’s no race at all.
But, we need to ask a very important question here. Against whom are we running?
Is our race against those who line up beside us in the starting blocks? If so, then the runner who crosses the finish line first, is the winner.
But what if … ?
What if my running rival is not the runner who lines up next to me?
What if my running rival is ‘the other me’?
What if my fiercest running rival is everything in me that works against me achieving my goal? My own voice of discouragement, lack of faith, fear, excuse and any other form of opposition to what I set out to do, works against my God-given purpose.
When I look at myself in the mirror, I see two runners. There is the Christ-driven one. She is the one who believes that reaching the goal is possible – the one who is willing to persevere and keep on going. Then, there’s the other me. The one who doesn’t want to believe I’ll make it. The one who says I shouldn’t run this race. Don’t even try. You’ll be embarrassed. The one who whispers in my ear, ‘You can’t.’ I need to recognise my fiercest running rival.
The runner who wins the race
It IS possible for everyone to win the race – win the prize. Because each one who starts the race, is actually running against him or herself. You may finish in position five of the runners who lined up in the starting blocks with you, yet you could still have beaten your fiercest running rival – yourself. Hence, you have won your race.
It won’t always be easy. In fact, it seldom is. That is why I will always need help. I will always need to trust in my Lord and Saviour, Christ Jesus, when I feel I am unable to carry on. I know that, during the day, or maybe tomorrow or next week or in the deep of the night, I will find that other me, running alongside and threatening to overtake me. I know I will look sideways and have two choices. I can ignore my fierce running rival, trust the Lord who gave me this purpose, and press on towards my goal. Or I can succumb to that other me who is trying to persuade me to give up trying. My choice will determine whether I reach my goal and win my race.
Sheryl’s take on Running in Dubai 2025
Should I?
On 10 February 2025, I opened my running season at the Dubai Fazza 2025 para-athletics Grand Prix. When we started out on the trip, I was overwhelmed with doubt. Questions flooded in. Should I be doing this? But, by the grace of God, I did it.
Another reason I wanted to go to the Dubai 2025 Grand Prix, was for athlete development. Isability strives to develop and nurture young athletes on and off the field. One of our developing athletes, Masala Makatu, was afforded the opportunity to attend the competition with me.
Funding for classification of developing athletes
Masala Makatu has been partially sighted since a young age. Dubai 2025 was his first international competition. His main purpose in attending the Grand Prix, was to have his international classification as a T12 athlete, confirmed. Without international classification, a para-athlete cannot participate internationally. By the grace of God, Masala’s trip to Dubai was secured. He is grateful for funding assistance from Isability, Jumping Kids, the Summit Africa Foundation, and the Department of Sport, Art and Culture.
Running success
It is a privilege to be able to run. Both Masala and I were blessed to open our running season well.
On 12 February 2025, Masala competed in the men’s open, T12 100m race and raced to second position and his first international silver medal. Well done Masala.
On 10 and 11 February 2025, I ran the 200m and 400m T37 sprints and managed to secure a gold medal in both events. But my best reward was not the medal. It was running a 400m time that was better than the time I ran at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. So – sometimes it looks as if the medal is the prize. But it is not. It is that personal hurdle that each one of us overcomes in a particular race. So, I’d like to encourage you to press on towards your own goal and purpose in Christ. You are able to win the prize.
Check out my Instagram post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DGDrPs_InCk/?igsh=bGpja25pOTQ0N2s0
Check out my Facebook post:
Yes! Thank you for the reminder and encouragement Sheryl. Let us run the race, eyes fixed on Jesus.
Once again an inspiration and the relevance of who your true competitor is. “Me, myself and I”.