The man in the red vest was a good pace maker. I tried to keep my eyes fixed on the back of his head whilst focussing on the motivational playlist, which was blasting out of my headphones. There was no doubt that the first 8km of the Pennine 10K were leaving their mark on the muscle tissue around my legs, arms, back, neck and backside. I was a disaster dressed up in running gear.

The fact I had passed the 8km marker brought a wry smile to my red face. Who was this pace maker in front of me? Was this his first long distance race like mine? Did his lower back feel like it was about to fall through his legs? Why was he cocking his head to one side and blowing profusely through his left nostril? What is this sticky, watery-like fluid now running down my face?! Oh yes friends, he just blew his nose and the wind directed his release to my head. What a wonderful way to celebrate the final stint of a charity run.

The crowds of people cheered us on as we hit the final straight in Blackburn. My adopted hometown in East Lancashire proved a fitting place for me to complete my debut distance attempt. The finish line stood like a human magnet drawing this painful saga to an end. I shifted gears and performed a sprint finish. I must have looked like a disabled gorilla after seven pints of Stella. Lying face down on the grass in Witton Park, surrounded by fellow fund raisers, I was stunned by the sense of unity. We had done it. All in different ways and in different times. Each of us wearing different colours inspired by different stories. We started the race as strangers but sweat like friends throughout. Our team of journalists who ran together shared quirky events which had faced them on the journey. Some spoke of the temptations to stop, puke and/or faint. Others ushered in their hard-earned rest which was to come. We all laughed at the Welsh boy (yours truly) who was at one time covered in the snot of a stranger.

Carl Beech once drew a parallel between his Marathon efforts and the Christian experience, and how right he was.

My conclusion was this. At the end of our race, it’s not that we will forget the messy, nonsensical invasions of our lives, nor will we pretend the pain was a mere sub plot. We will however, be so engrossed in the welcome which awaits us who keep our hope in the words of the one they call Jesus, that we will consider everything else as second best.

Some of us have barely left the starting point in our Christian faith, whilst others are performing their sprint finish. Some however, are wiping down their faces after a seriously unpleasant encounter. In our different shirts and various abilities, we run this life awaiting a full revelation of what we have seen in glimpses. The finish line of the faithful.

Read the words of John as he peers into heaven in the book of Revelations:

I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”

This is the finish line we are stumbling towards.

Peace.

I am more impressed with Eddie Izzard than Usain Bolt. Don’t get me wrong, Bolt is the fastest man on Earth over a short distance, and if I broke into his house and he was in, I would be in a very tricky position if it came to a foot race. I’d probably have to knock him out before my getaway. Anyway, Eddie Izzard ran 43 marathons in 53 days. They say you should take 26 days to rest after one marathon. He had never ran before the first one. It’s not really possible to do what Eddie did it.

People are wowed by those who sprint, but humbled by those who endure. The crazy thing is, Jesus talks about this. I have seen a lot of people take a fleeting interest in the message of Jesus before moving on to something more shiny. The more I read the scriptures the more I see the long distance runners changing the world whilst shooting stars fall after a few seconds under the spotlight.

Ok enough with the metaphors. These last few weeks endurance has littered our TVs and radios with sports relief challenges and marathon men. Coupled with this new phase of endurance, I have recently taken some major steps with the most testing battle a man can face. Golf.

It has nothing to do with skill, strength or power. It truly is all in the mind. And after you swing and miss the first 7 million balls, the temptation comes over you like a wall of burdens. No man should have to stand so vulnerable on a driving range in front of 20 professionals wearing one glove. Everyone I speak to about my recent progress in Golf say the same thing. “Yeah man that’s really good. It’s a great game but well hard. I played once but I was awful. Didn’t bother again.” Some of my mates spent hundreds of pounds on clubs but gave up because they weren’t very good at it. (These clubs will become my property in the near future).

Like some crazed freak I use these faces of those who quit Golf to pump my concentration after I spoon a ball 20 yards over the fence. I will not quit. Not because I’m super strong, or as focused as a leopard, but because the theology of Eddie Izzard is 100% proof. How does perseverance work? It works like this: Wake up, have a wash, eat some breakfast, do the thing worth persevering for, eat some food, have a sleep. We cannot persevere tomorrow. Only today. And if everyday you wake up, have a wash, eat some food and persevere, the years will pass and looking back on your life you will see that you have finished the race.

Consider these epic teachings by Jesus who persevered more than any living thing. In Mark’s account he said this: “Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.”

For those of you who have not yet encountered “The word” then for the next hour or so have a read of the book of Mark. Endurance pays off. For those of you who have encountered “The word” then for the next hour or so have a read of the book of Mark. Endurance pays off.

Today we endure, because tomorrow isn’t real.

Peace.