The People Who Slow Us Down May Be the Ones Who Help Us Go Farther

11,000 runners showed up in 34-degree weather for the Kansas City Marathon. And I was one of them!

After three knee surgeries and a long road back, I was finally at the starting line for my first half marathon since last year. Standing there with two of my friends from Ethiopia, Solomon and Zekarias, I knew we were going to have a successful day.

Solomon had promised to run the 13.1 miles with me. I was looking forward to catching up along the way, and he assured me we would take it at an easy pace so I wouldn’t burn out too early.

I just didn’t realize how EASY he had in mind!

Less than a mile in, Solomon announced, “Oh, I need to retie my shoe.” So I slowed to a walk while he took care of business.

A few miles later, we were crossing a bridge with the sun shining brightly. Solomon said, “Let’s stop and take a photo.”

Really? We’re stopping already?

I jumped into the frame while he fumbled around getting the picture.

We got moving again, and I was feeling pretty good about our pace and energy. Maybe this was going to be easier than I thought!

Then, as we passed the World War I museum area, Solomon announced, “Oh, look! Kaleab is calling from Ethiopia. Let’s FaceTime him!”

COME ON! We were finally making some progress!

But there we were again, slowing down, stepping out of the flow of runners, and chatting with our friend on a phone screen thousands of miles away.

After saying our goodbyes to Kaleab, we merged back into the crowd. By now, I was just hoping we could finish without any more interruptions.

Then came mile marker 9.

“I need to hit the restroom,” Solomon announced.

Are you kidding me? Am I running with a 3-year-old? Can’t you hold it a little longer?

Of course, every porta-potty we had passed seemed to have a line. So we kept going until we found one with just a few people waiting.

There went my hoped-for respectable finish time!

Finally, we were back on the course and heading toward the home stretch. Just a few more miles!

That’s when my surgically repaired knee decided it had had enough.

Up to that point, things had been going pretty well. But I had hit the proverbial wall. Every step became more challenging, and the finish line suddenly seemed a lot farther away.

And that’s when I realized something.

Solomon had known what he was doing all along.

From the beginning, he had told me we were going to take an easy pace. I thought he was slowing us down. I thought we were wasting time with unnecessary stops and distractions.

But he was helping me conserve my energy. He was making sure I didn’t burn out too early.

And when my knee began talking back to me, he was right there.

He could have easily run ahead and finished faster. Instead, he adjusted his pace to mine. He walked with me more than he probably wanted to. He offered encouragement when I needed it most and helped me keep moving toward that finish line.

As we crested the final hill and saw the finish line ahead, I was grateful for a friend who cared more about finishing with me than finishing faster on his own.

It reminded me of an African proverb:

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

Sometimes the person who seems to be slowing you down is actually helping you go farther than you could have gone alone. “Thank you Solomon”.

And here’s the part that makes this story even better.

We didn’t just finish a half marathon. Our Heartland - Team World Vision team raised $78,500 to help provide clean water for nearly 1,600 people!

For families who will gain access to clean water, the impact will go far beyond race day. It means time, opportunity, health, and hope.

Now THAT is a good day!