Run the Race

Even many of the most committed Christians sometimes have doubts. When life seems to be a series of negative encounters rather than the joy filled life we all desire, it is a natural response to turn to God and ask why.  The truth is, our life in this world is not supposed to be easy.  Our life in this world is supposed to be hard.  That’s how we grow.  That’s how God prepares us for our eternal life to come. We are like athletes in training.  Our struggles make us stronger and ensure we will be ready for our final victory.

Run the Race is the story of two teenage boys who suffer through the loss of their mother to cancer and abandonment by their father.  Zach and Dave are two teenage brothers who have learned to fend for themselves.  They have essentially become each other’s parent providing support and love for the difficult road ahead.  Zach is a promising football player, and Dave has been sidelined by an injury that left him susceptible to seizures.   Zach’s dream is to earn a college football scholarship so that they can both move out of their working class town to a brighter future.

Everything seems to be going well until Zach gets into a fight at a local party and is left with a badly injured knee.  His chances for a scholarship are gone.  As a result, the tables turn and Dave, who can no longer play football because of his seizures, is granted permission by his doctor to run track.  Now the plan is for Dave to achieve the scholarship that will change their lives.  Through all of this, Dave’s Christian faith is solid as a rock, but Zach is the one who questions God and wonders why they have been challenged with such a difficult path.  It is Zach’s lack of faith that also threatens to derail his new relationship with the girl of his dreams.  And it all comes crashing in on Zach when Dave has a massive seizure and is no longer able to continue his race for a track scholarship.

I’ll leave the resolution to this story out of this review, but I can tell you it’s not an easy victory but it is a victory indeed.  The acting in this film is superb and the story moves along at a steady pace.  I would have liked to see a little more character development, but in the end I was completely satisfied with the overall concept.  This is a great tale about how challenging life can be and how our faith can carry us through even the most difficult situations.