Finishing: It's a special joy
Bob Wieland finished the New York City Marathon on Nov. 6, 1986. He was the 19,413th one to finish — and the first to run the marathon with his arms instead of his legs.
Wieland was a 40-year-old resident of California whose legs were blown off in Vietnam 17 years earlier. Officials said his recorded time of four days, two hours, 48 minutes, 17 seconds was the longest in the marathon's history.
When claiming his finisher's medal, he explained when asked why he raced: “For the same reason as 20,000 other people: It is the best marathon in the country.”
Wieland “ran” in a sitting position, using his developed arms like crutches, lifting his torso to swing forward. He sat in a 15-pound saddle and covered his clenched fists with pads he called size one running shoes.
Wieland started his marathon run more than two hours before the other participants. His progress was at a rate of one mile an hour. The race winner ran the entire marathon in the time it took Wieland to barely get out of sight of the starting line.
Wieland's worthy words of wisdom spoken when receiving his award provide help for sustaining joy. “Success is not based on where you start, it's WHERE you finish.”
“Don't get fatigued. At the right time we will harvest a good crop … if we don't give up or quit.” — Paul the Apostle, Galatians 6:9 [MSG]
The Rev. Paul Killingsworth serves as pastor at Yuma First Assembly.
