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John Stephen Akhwari was chosen to represent Tanzania in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.
Though his chances of winning the marathon were slim, they dropped to zero after he was nearly trampled to death by a group of other runners jockeying for position.
In a matter of seconds, Akhwari fell to the ground, gashed and dislocated his knee, and smashed his shoulder against the pavement.
After receiving emergency medical treatment, he pushed the doctors away, got up and continued the race.
Almost an hour after the winner was crowned – and nearly every spectator left the stadium – Akhwari stumbled across the finish line, his bandages flapping in the wind.
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When asked why he didn’t quit, Akhwari said:
“My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race. They sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race.”
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Like an Olympic athlete, Saint Paul has run the race of life to the finish. In spite of being beaten, shipwrecked, stoned, imprisoned, and left for dead, he never gave up.
He kept the faith.
“All that awaits me now,” he says in our first reading, “is the crown of righteousness.”
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Like Saint Paul, at times our Christian journey can leave us feeling trampled down by grief, anger, and loss.
This is certainly true as we remember the many lives lost – and forever changed – by 9/11.
But Paul exhorts today to get back up. We always do as a nation – and we always should as Christians.
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Perhaps it’s the best way to honor the fallen – to continue running this race of life, keeping the faith that promises us our loved ones are just beyond the finish line.
