There are days when I reach the starting line only to stare down at it dumbfounded, days when bigger things are on my mind than running. Maybe my mind is transfixed on that enormous pile of homework I have tucked away in a backpack in the stands, or maybe I’m just thinking about how small my talent is compared to that of the other amazing athletes standing at my side. Maybe it is one of those days when nothing feels right and my legs just won’t seem to move the way God intended, or maybe I am recovering from a bad cold and have that terrible stuffed up feeling that leaves one wheezing for breath.

These are the days I turn to Pre. No matter what stress, pain, or dazed feeling I am overcome with, I can always count on Pre’s words to pull me back on track. Knowing that such an amazing runner was quoted saying, “A lot of people run a race to see who is the fastest, I run to see who has the most guts,” gives me a feeling of comfort. As I peer down the row of faces standing beside me I begin to notice nearly all of them have the same look of fear and nerves that I have. I realize that every one of them is going to need something more than their talent and conditioning to run the race. It is going to take guts. Anyone of them could surrender to the pain of the race at any moment.

I realize that skill alone can only make or break one to a certain point. The rest is guts. If I can fight the pain all the way to the finish line I will have won. I may not find myself standing on the highest block of the podium, but I will be standing tallest, for I will have won the greatest battle of all, the battle with myself, and the battle of guts, something even Steve Prefontaine knew meant more than talent.