Insights & Information

5K completes inaugural Run for God ministry

Wayne Warren and daughter Lindsay cross finish first in 2015 Run for God

Like proud parents, Jeff and Kelly Larrimore watched the 5K in process June 20 at Ivey M. Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville.

With a morning breeze rustling the Forsyth County countryside, the race capped the end of Triad Baptist’s first Run for God ministry which blended Bible study, exercise, fellowship, and prayer.

“You can do it, Ann,” Kelly called out to one of the 30 runners navigating the 3.1-mile course. “You got this!”

When it was over, Wayne Warren and daughter Lindsay Sauls were one-two across the finish line at the 26:06 mark followed closely by Warren’s son, Brandon — pushing a jogging stroller with his son Branson, 9 months, aboard. Warren’s wife, Vickie, finished later to complete her first 5K.

The last runner finished in 50 minutes. Each had their own story of the ministry’s impact. Stephanie Bower, who joined Triad last year, made a new friend — Jamie Marshall — and got back in the running habit after a lull.

Karen Willis says her running time became a run with God. “I noticed the smell of the honeysuckle or the breeze, and to be thankful for these little things I began to notice more. I couldn’t run for a minute when I first started.”

Sissy McCoy bought the devotional guide and plans to continue making Bible study and exercise a priority and to stay spiritually and physically healthy. That was a common refrain Saturday as the Larrimores draped TBC Run for God medals around the heads of the finishers — whether they ran the whole way or not.

Many surprised themselves with their best times, including Pam Brown, who finished ahead of her children Parker, 19, Ella, 12, and husband, Mark.

“We know Jeff and Kelly so we’ve been coming out on Tuesday and Thursdays,” Pam says. “When we started in March, I couldn’t hardly run at all. Now I can do things I didn’t think I could do and have much more stamina. My goal today was to run the whole thing without stopping, and I did!”

April Brooks completed her first 5K and recorded her best time of 35:28.

“Today’s run was very challenging but I’m glad I made it,” April says. “The first week it was all I could do to run 60 seconds. All that work personally paid off. Jeff and Kelly are so encouraging and so upbeat. I did have to get some new running shoes along the way and definitely feel that I have more endurance.

“It also definitely encourages you to pray,” she says of finding the strength to endure. “My son, Aidan, 11, and I are going to keep training so by next year we should really be fast.”

 

2015 Run for God 5K– Image 1 of 18

 

Wayne Warren says the Run for God sparked a new family tradition: running together. “We made it our family time three days a week,” he says. “We’d all meet at our house and run together.”

The Larrimores got the idea to bring the Run for God concept to Triad after Kelly won a contest on WBFJ-FM to participate in another church’s Run for God 5K in Clemmons, and both saw the benefits regular exercise brought in their own lives.

There are several Run for God efforts across the nation. All are offshoots of the ministry created by Mitchell Hollis of Varnell, Georgia, whose run in the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta in 2007 marked a turning point in his own spiritual life and health.

When the couple launched the ministry in March at Triad, Jeff Larrimore says he hoped it would offer support and encouragement to others on their journey to better health.

Watching the results June 20, both they and the inaugural Run for God participants felt the mission was accomplished.

“I think for me, the best part has been seeing the personal impact,” Kelly says. “April was struggling to make it through the first night of running but today ran a 5K. Seeing her achieve that and the enthusiasm was great. The sweetest part to me is people thinking they can’t do it but realizing they can!”

Phase 2 Shot of TBC B&W 17

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