FINISH THE RACE 559

                                          FINISH THE RACE  559
                           
                             Did you read the amazing account
                             of the Michigan marathon runner,
                             Dennis Rainear, who completed the
                             last 16 miles of a 26-mile marathon
                             with a .22-calibre bullet lodged in his        
                             head?
    
                             The .22 slug had knocked Rainear off
                             his feet, but he bounced right back up,
                             and did not realize the extent of his injury
                             until the end of the race.
 
                             The only complaint that the 26 year Rainear
                             had was that the shooting incident probably
                             kept him from running the race in 3 hours
                             and thus disqualified him for the Boston Marathon.
                             (Rainear's time was 3 hours 9 minutes.)

                             Ah, to stay in the race, especially when we
                             have been wounded... It is not always easy,
                             but it must be done, if the victory is to be won.

                             (We believe God weighs our efforts as well as
                             out victories.)

                             (First witten on December 7, 1978)
                             (The last sentence was written on February
                             22, 2019)