Latest / The Red Banner Race Report / Abbey Gentz, Huntington University

Transcript

Abbey Gentz, Huntington University · The Red Banner Race Report

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: After a year and a half off, um lining up for college cross-country meet was something I wasn't even sure I'd ever do again.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so many people around me told me running was off the table for good because of my health problems.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_01: But ultimately, God had other plans.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_01: He taught me patience with every painful step and reminded me my purpose isn't finished.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_01: Day by day, he gave me the strength to keep pushing.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um it was it wasn't about the clock or where it finished.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um, every stride was a win in my books.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_01: I was just living out the exact prayer I had for so long.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_01: To be back doing what I love with my teammates.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_01: Bacing up and putting one foot in front of the other is a complete miracle.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_01: And it never is something I'm going to take for granted again.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: On September 7th, 2026, Huntington University's Abigail Gentz was named the Crossroads League Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: Then a day later, the USTFCCCA NAIA Women's National Athlete of the Week.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: The first such honor awarded in the 2026 cross-country season.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: At Indiana Wesleyan's Twilight Invite on Liberty Weekend, Abby navigated the 5K field of 184 runners to claim the individual title at the time of 1825, pulling away from the competition by an extraordinary 40 seconds.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: The margin of victory is impressive when considering Ghana's outpaced runners from five nationally ranked programs.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: This national recognition is the exclamation point on a weekend that served as Abby's first cross-country race since 2024 and reminded the NII what she's capable of.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: After missing the entirety of last season and not having raced in a year and a half, her victory at Iwo became another page in the chapter of her redemption story.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: Abby suffered from epileptic seizures, a brain aneurysm, and other critical medical events that required a life flight, motivation, medically induced coma, and hospital stays.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: She had to learn to start over at absolute zero through inpatient rehab, relearning how to walk, eat, speak, and endure months of physical speech and occupational therapy.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: As Abby said, self-reliance fails in the face of crisis.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: And being patient and waiting for a breakthrough in trials can be incredibly frustrating and discouraging.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Abby's experience and story of her faith will leave you feeling grateful, inspired, and hopefully remind you that the ability to run is an amazing privilege.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the pod, Abby.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for having me.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I'm so excited to hear your story and share it with everyone.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: I think everyone should hear this incredible redemption story and this miraculous comeback.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: And it'll give a lot of hope and perspective, I think, to people who maybe need to hear this message.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: But before we before we dive into that, let's get a little bit of a backstory about you.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: So tell us how you first got involved in running.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: You know, how did you begin your cross-country track career?
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: When, you know, when did that begin?
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: How old were you?
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: What were the influences that got you started and anybody who might have played a role?
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I started running in middle school uh at Woodland.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_01: It's a small town in Woodburn, Indiana.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_01: And I ran all throughout high school.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I originally only did cross country to stay in shape for basketball.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, I was mainly a mid-distance runner and long jumper early on in my track um career.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but junior year is when I truly fell in love with distance running.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_01: Right after that season, unfortunately, I did develop an eating disorder, which is a battle so many young female runners face.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_01: And bringing awareness is definitely so needed.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_01: So I missed out on my track my junior year and senior year while I was in and out of treatment centers um healing from that anorexia.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I kind of had a unique gap year.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_01: After graduating, I took a gap year, um, worked full-time at a nursing home and actually was an assistant coach for Woodland Cross Country Team.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but during that time, coaching rekindled my passion.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_01: I started running again on my own and trained for my first marathon.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_01: I really realized uh like how deep my love for distance running was, which unexpectedly opened the door to Huntington.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: Well, what defining factors or elements about Huntington helped you to decide that university to attend that university versus, you know, somewhere else?
• 4:45
  unknown: Yeah.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I wasn't even planning on going to college at that point.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I was happy working full-time, coaching, marathon training.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_01: However, my high school coach's son started running at Huntington and he actually urged me to reach out to Coach Austin Rourke.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_01: At first I said no, but I finally let him pass my number along.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_01: And I said a prayer to God.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_01: I said, God, if I'm supposed to go to college, you're gonna have to make it super clear.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um, Coach Rourke texted me right away after to set up a phone call.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um, then basically everything clicked instantly.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_01: It felt right, and the rest is history, I guess.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you've mentioned that you are uh, you know, you've done a few marathons.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: Is that something that you have maybe given some thought to as far as the NAI marathon?
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, I actually ran the CIM one um two years back, and it was fantastic, great race.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I had so much fun and something I have a passion for for sure.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you recently shared pretty openly after your first victory uh on your redemption tour, I like to call it, uh at IWU, um, that you had to overcome some very, very serious medical hurdles, um, ones that most people would not ever have to overcome in a lifetime, much less a runner during a you know competitive career or collegiate career.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_00: So walk us through that journey.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, where where did it begin?
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: What happened?
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: What was your recovery?
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: And how did that all lead you back to that moment where you returned victorious to racing and were able to um, you know, conquer a lot of those battles that you'd been fighting?
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it started in early 2025.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_01: I actually was at Indoor Nationals right after running the DMR.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_01: I had one of my first seizures and was then rushed to the hospital.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um, initially they were thinking it was heart-related because it showed up kind of as long QT syndrome.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_01: But it turned out uh once I got back home, I found an incredible neurologist here and I got the diagnosis of epilepsy.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um when it started to get really bad was last winter, uh it hit a breaking point.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_01: A seizure, a severe seizure forced me into a medically induced coma for about a week.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um once I woke up, I had severe memory loss.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_01: I couldn't even recognize people I should have.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_01: I just remember feeling so frustrated.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_01: Like I should know them, but I don't know who they are.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I couldn't even remember my phone password.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_01: But most strikingly, I lost a lot of balance and coordination during that time.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um, obviously, when you're bedbound, your muscle strength goes down a lot.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_01: So I wasn't able to walk and I even wasn't able to swallow correctly.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I spent about a month in the neuro unit at the hospital where I was then transferred to an inpatient rehabilitation center for daily physical, occupational, and speech therapy to relearn the basics, how to be human again.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um so, however, the next six months um it was kind of a roller coaster ride.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um I had status epileptus repeatedly put me back into a ventilator in ICU.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um obviously, I had to stay step away from school and rely on my parents um for full-time care.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_01: I was fully dependent on G tube feeds.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_01: I had many surgeries and endless of appointments.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um my neurologist actually found a brain aneurysm, which by the grace of God is now completely gone.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um but during that time, I was I was very confused.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_01: I even ended up being angry at God at times.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_01: However, like the people that just swarmed me and surrounded me and prayed for me that just helped me get through it.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I'm living proof that miracles happen.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_01: So stepping back on the starting line definitely proves God isn't done with my story.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_01: I still have challenges now being an athlete dealing with some of the things.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_01: Like I'm still reliant on a feeding tube for most of my nutrition.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_01: And I still have weekly appointments, but for right now, I'm just super blessed to be where I'm at.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: I bet that just is an incredible and really overwhelming story to think about overcoming all of those hurdles.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um, what did that recovery and training process look like?
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you took a long step back from both school and athletics.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: You had to, you know, get through the medical struggles first to even think about running again.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: And I know that you had mentioned people told you you wouldn't run.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: And so how do you begin building back from ground zero and then end up ready to compete?
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, definitely started from ground zero.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: I just remember like we were just working on standing up from being in a wheelchair and just getting muscle strength back.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but there was constant setbacks that put me back, and then I would make a step forward and then move back.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_01: But one thing that popped up into my mind in particular um was at the end of May, um I was lifelighted to Indy and intubated again because and it was extremely frustrating because being put on a ventilator really like wrecks your lungs.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_01: So each time I would come back from it, um the run, like once I got clear, got out of the hospital, it just felt like breathing just for a run was a massive struggle.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_01: And so that was extremely hard.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I would be very disappointed when I would have to take a step back.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but I am an extremely determined person.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_01: So I put my head down and worked to rebuild my mileage through like pure grit and determination.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I also worked with an incredible physical therapist who specialized in neuro rehab, and he guided my entire return to run process to make sure I was doing it safely.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so rebuilding step by step took everything, but made stepping on the line means so much more to me.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh, I can imagine.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: Well, how do you keep yourself healthy moving forward?
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you you clearly have some ongoing health concerns to keep an eye on and be mindful of.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: So um, you know, are there certain things you have to be cautious about or maybe take a more concerned approach than perhaps another athlete who doesn't have epilepsy or other medical background like you do?
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, um, absolutely.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I have to be very cautious of like when I'm training, I typically like to train with someone.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I have to be careful in the weight room.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I used to aqua jog a lot for my cross training, but that's completely off the table now.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so just be mindful of those types of things.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_01: I've never act had a seizure actively when I was running, which is something I'm extremely grateful for.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_01: But um, yeah, just taking those precautions is something I have to make sure to keep myself healthy.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: Do you have anti-seizure meds at a meat just in case?
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um I'm current, yeah.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_01: I have that um in case I need it.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but yeah.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: I had a student, I was an elementary teacher.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: I just retired this year, and I had a student who was an epileptic.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: And so we had to be trained on rescue medication that was given through the nose.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_00: So um thankfully he never had a seizure at school, but I know like that was a bag that he carried with him everywhere, just in case.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, I have I'm currently taking a few seizure medications and just trying to manage it that way.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: Well, let's talk about your return to the grass, which is such an amazing, victorious moment.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_00: So, how did it feel to finally step back on the start line?
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_00: And what was your mindset going into that race?
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, were you just excited?
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: Were you nervous?
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_00: A little of both.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I was just purely excited.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um, there was times over the past year I didn't even think that day would ever come.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_01: And so I was just soaking it in.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um, stepping on the line was defined by absolute gratitude in my in my mind.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_01: So my mindset was like just feeling blessed to for another opportunity um and soaking in every second.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_01: There was definitely times during the race where I just like a smile would come across my face because I was so happy.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: I think this is a great lesson for all runners.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: We usually don't think about the privilege of just being able to do something like race.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, we we get caught up in the well, how am I going to perform and how am I going to feel?
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm nervous.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_00: But I would imagine that having that perspective, like you're so happy, you had nothing to lose, you know, you'd been at rock bottom, you'd worked your way back, you had everything to gain.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like that probably would make you so free to just race, you know, without any boundaries or hesitation.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um, during the race, it was um quite hot.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but during the race, I was thinking, wow, like just even being out in the sun, like there was times where I just longed to be outside when you're stuck in a hospital bed.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I was just like, I don't know, just finding gratitude was something that I've just been learning to do a lot more.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_01: And it's something that I think is a good reminder to have.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, definitely.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_00: Well, what are some of the goals that you have set for yourself this season?
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I'm sure it was kind of an unknown, you know, just trying to get back to racing and being healthy.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_00: But have you given any thought to what you'd like to achieve or maybe even into the track season?
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um, my main goal obviously is to glorify God and everything I do, whether that be on or off the cross-country course.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but one thing I want to do is not focus too much on like specific target times or placements.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_01: I just want to show up every day and work as hard as I can.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_01: And I heard this quote the other day that said, an athlete who accepts nothing receives everything.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so I was thinking more about it and I was like, I refuse to accept limits or compromise on my preparation because I truly trust God with the process, and I'm just letting the results take care of themselves.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_00: I heard a great quote once.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, your test is your testimony, and I don't think anyone embodies that more than you do.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_00: That's an amazing quote, too.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_00: So tell me what you're studying.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, what would you like to do career-wise if you graduated and could kind of choose the path for your future?
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, um I'm an exercise science and nutrition major with a psychology minor.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um, my career goal is to coach cross-country and track at the collegiate level.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_01: I'm very passionate about like the physical science of training, but also the mental side of like sports performance to help athletes like reach their goal.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so that's something I definitely want to pursue.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_00: I can't think of a better person for someone to hire than you.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you have a viewpoint that I don't think many other coaches would ever be able to imagine.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_00: So that's a huge bonus on your resume, right?
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_00: So tell me about yourself.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_00: What are your spare time hobbies?
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_00: What are your interests?
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_00: What do you like to do when you're not prepping for school, studying, or training for cross-country your track?
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so I picked up um some creative hobbies like painting and sketching when I was in the hospital, where I was forced to slow down and fill time outside of obviously like athletics and academics.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but above all, I love just getting extra quality time to connect with my family.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_01: I have six siblings, so I got to be home um with them a lot more and spend more time with my friends.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um, a lot of them are also on the cross-country team and track team.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_01: And so just spending time with them has been great.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_00: Do you live on campus or do you live at home?
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so I I'm back on campus.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um, obviously last year I was not.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um but I'm back on campus, and so just getting to catch up with my friends and everything has been amazing.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I bet it's great to be back and involved and with all your friends and teammates again.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_00: So, with this perspective that you have now, what would you tell someone who may be struggling with a medical issue or a challenge or they can't train, they can't race?
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_00: They're maybe losing their heart for the sport, maybe they're just really discouraged and down, and they're thinking, you know what, this is never gonna get better, it's never gonna change, and I should just quit.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_00: What would you tell that person?
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_01: I would definitely tell them, like, your race is not over because ultimately, like, God's not done with your story.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_01: Um, like for in Ronnie, like, I feel like we dig deeper into ourselves, but like that self-reliance fails in the point of crisis, and you can feel really hopeless.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_01: So, just a reminder that God sees every setback and he's always there.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so don't let your current trial dictate where you're gonna go.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so you have to just trust God for the endurance to just keep going and not throw in the towel.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_00: Agreed.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_01: I just remember throughout my whole journey, everybody was like, have patience.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_01: And I heard that word so, so, so, so much.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_01: And I just remember thinking, like, God, like, I've been patient.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_01: I've I've been patient for so long.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_01: When are you gonna deliver me from this?
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_01: And it's crazy to think, looking back, that he was working behind the scenes through it all.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and just it feels incredibly hard during it, but once you get past that trial, um, the Lord has better, bigger plans for you, and you just gotta keep fighting.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it is hard to wait.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_00: It's not a human quality that comes naturally, that's for sure.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_00: And especially when you don't feel well and you just wanna you just wanna be the person you were before, or you just wanna do the things that you could do before.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's very discouraging.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_00: So I know I I keep telling athletes who feel that way, just don't give up, don't give up.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_00: All right, my favorite question that I like to wrap up an episode with because I think it just reveals an interesting side to everyone's unique and distinct personality.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_00: And that is if you could run with anyone, and this can be someone from the past and history that is no longer living, it could be someone from the present, you can take them anywhere in the world and you can go for a run.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: Who are you picking and where are you choosing to go?
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_01: I would have to go with Katherine Switzer.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, just running the final miles of the Boston Marathon with her, sharing the miles with the woman who paved the way for all of us females marathoners would just be ultimately incredible.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_00: That is a great choice.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, she has a children's book that she wrote about her um, you know, experience and everything.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I read it to my students when I was teaching, and they were like, wait, women were allowed to run in the race?
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, no, crazy.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_00: It was so foreign to think about to them.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_00: Just wait, why?
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: Why can't girls do it?
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_00: It's mind-bottling.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_00: It is, it is truly, but that's how far, you know, we've had to come.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: And um, yeah, you're right.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_00: The the trails that were paved for us by brave people.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_00: So that is a great place.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I have had the extreme privilege of running Boston twice, and I tell every runner I ever talked to that thinks about going there and doing it, there is nothing in the world like it.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_00: Like you cannot prepare your body and mind for entering Boylston Street, and it's lined with fans.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it does, it gives you chills.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_00: Like I started crying when I came around the curve.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_00: And it's this wall of sound.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_00: And I've run a lot of places, but nowhere.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_00: Nowhere is it like Boston because from start to finish, this whole city is out in force, and they are so excited for every runner that goes by, and it is nuts.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_00: I can't wait to someday do that.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_00: So you gotta get there and you gotta experience it.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_00: And I told a couple people after I finished, I said, I envision that this is kind of what it's gonna be like when we enter heaven one day.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_00: And all the people that we have loved are standing there ready to greet us.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, Jesus says, Job well done, and you cross that finish line.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_00: So that's my metaphor for um, you know, living your life to the the last moment and doing it the way that Jesus would call us to.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_00: So great choice.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_00: Well, my dear, I think that your testimony and your story and your, you know, redemption tour, it's just getting started.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm sure there are more hurdles to go over, so we say.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_00: But I think that your mindset of living each moment to enjoy it and not take it for granted and with the appreciation of someone who's really been through some pretty tough stuff, that's what makes the difference.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that your story is going to hopefully inspire a lot of other people who maybe just need a little touch of encouragement too.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you so much for being vulnerable and sharing that with us.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's a privilege.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for tuning in to the Red Banner Race Report.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_00: I can't wait to feature more cross-country and track and field athletes from the NAIA.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_00: So stay tuned because it just might be you.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_00: If you enjoyed today's podcast, please share, subscribe, and leave a review.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_00: You can find the Red Banner Race Report podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and other major media players.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_00: You can also ask for SmartSpeaker to play the podcast.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_00: If you have an idea for a great topic or guest you'd like to hear about, feel free to contact me through the show notes or reach out on Instagram.