Hood to Coast is the largest relay in the world, spanning 199 miles from Mount Hood to the Oregon coast. It’s nicknamed “the mother of all relays.” Have you run it before?
A few weeks ago, while up early to go for a run, a new word popped in my head … dependurance. While I’m pretty sure it’s not a word, it does describe the season we’re in: depending upon God’s strength and love as we press on through.
As Kari notes, we have a few plans this weekend:
- Run a 200-mile relay
- Don’t sleep
- Attend 4 church services
- Attend a baptism
- Say goodbye to 1,500 people
- Host 40 people for a BBQ at our house
Kidding about the not sleeping part. (Kinda.) It’s ambitious, though it certainly isn’t sustainable. It’s the confluence of various plans, coming together over one big weekend. Glad we don’t have to do it all alone.
The idea of dependurance speaks to a larger theme in a life lived with God: He will take us through challenges insurmountable by ourselves. During those times especially we need running partners to spur on and to be spurred on by them. (The need is mutual.) Whether we’re running from a mount to the ocean, and more importantly when we’re aggressively confessing sin and repenting as we cling onto Christ and His promises, we must do life as a team.
Today Kari and I join ten others on a team simply hoping to finish; if you see us out there, we’re team #886, the “Gals ‘n’ Guys with Achin’ Thighs.”
Fourteen years ago I ran the “mother of all relays” with college friends, and this weekend get to revisit it with newer friends, all of us now married, most of us with kids. Looking forward to cheering on my wife and the rest of the team.
We’ve in Van 2. My legs are 9-21-33; Kari’s are 12-24-36. She’ll finish the race for our team, all of us (parking-and-logistics-permitting) hope to join her to cross the finish line together. Looking forward dependuring together.
(By some quick calculations my running pace will be 2-3 minutes slower per mile than back when I ran it with college fraternity brothers.)
#dependurance #htcrelay
