Run to Win!

The 2026 Winter Olympics begin this weekend in Italy! You’ll be surprised to know I’ve won two gold medals myself. Ok, well not at THE Olympics, but at the world championship of women’s a capella show choruses! Not exactly the same, but I learned a lot of lessons from those experiences. Back to my story later.

Did you know the first known ancient Olympic Games were held in Olympia, Greece in 776 B.C.? They continued until the last recorded celebration in A.D. 393, with archaeological evidence showing some of the games still continued. They were revived again in April of 1896, called the Games of the I Olympiad, held in Athens, Greece.*

The Apostle Paul and the people of his day would have been very aware of the Olympic Games and the famous athletes who won, because it was a major event. In fact, he used their example to illustrate an important lesson in these words he wrote around 55 A.D. in 1 Corinthians 9:24-26a (NLT):

“Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step.“

The prize Paul refers to is a wreath or crown of olive branches given to the winning athletes. There were no gold medals like the ones given out today, just a few perishable sticks and leaves woven together. After all the hard training, time, sacrifice, pain, and commitment these men put in, that was it – along with the honor and fame. But Paul is challenging us to think deeper about a far more important prize.

If we put our hope in Jesus Christ and follow Him, He’s promised to give us eternal life in Heaven. In addition to future hope, our life now has purpose too. To make the most of each day and finish well, as Paul said, “every step counts.” One of the main reasons we admire Olympic athletes is their discipline and strength that we can see in action. It’s inspiring! They model for us what can be achieved if we go the extra mile and don’t quit.

I promised to share a little about what I learned from earning my two gold medals with about 120 of my friends at the “Olympics” of women’s show chorus competition. Many of the lessons are similar:

1. We worked our butts off! For inspiration while training for our first championship, we actually watched the movie called “Miracle” about the USA men’s hockey team that beat the heavily favored Soviet team for the gold at the 1980 Olympics. While they were training and doing their drills, they would shout to each other, “AGAIN!” We did the same and built more stamina than we knew we had.
2. We didn’t do it alone. We had some of the finest vocal coaches and choreographers in the organization working with us to tell us what we needed to hear and turn better into best! At the top of the list was our amazing Director, Pam.
3. It took a village. We had costume designers and sewers, help setting up and tearing down the risers, section leaders reviewing each singer’s recordings to be sure they passed, and more… 
4. The magic happened because each of us did our best – together. The joy was off the charts when we crossed the finish line together and each of us got a gold medal that we had earned. Twice! None of us will ever forget it.

I believe as Paul did when he said, “run to win!” If you are willing, God has an endless supply of His strength and endurance to run your life with purpose. Then, as the Apostle Peter said to all the faithful who serve Him in 1 Peter 5:4 (NIV):

“And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”

RESET HIGHER: Why not challenge yourself to a personal training goal as you watch the Olympics over 17 days of competition? Watch some of the events, get inspired and go for it! I’m usually inspired to exercise, but maybe you have something else you’d like to work on. Reach out and encourage others too! Let’s all run to win!