Justin Malone has been my cross country and track coach for two seasons now, and I have grown so much as a person by being around him and the other coaches at Portsmouth Christian Academy. He started coaching when his children joined the PCA cross country team and has been coaching athletes at the school for multiple years now. His encouragement when I’m running laps, while pushing me to give my best, motivates me to keep going, and I appreciate his patience and wisdom in working with each team member according to their specific goals for the season. I recently had the privilege of asking him 8 questions about his running journey and how God has impacted it. The gospel has been a foundational part of my running journey, and I was thankful to get to hear how it’s been apart of his.
1. How long/since when have you been running, and at what age did you start?
“I ran my senior year of high school and didn’t pick it up again until 9 years ago, when my kids started running cross-country.”
2. What motivated you to get into running?
“Initially health. When I was exposed to the running community by Coe Brown, that started my competition and coaching journey. The running community is different than other sports I’ve been a part of, and I was drawn to it.”
3. What’s the most miles you’ve run in one run?
” 26.2″
4. What is the hardest race or event you’ve participated in?
“The marathon is the hardest race for me. The mental and physical battle during the last few miles is unlike anything I’ve experienced before.”
5. How do you balance running, coaching, work, family, and faith, while also having time for rest?
“I create a consistent routine and stick to it as closely as possible. If necessary, I wake up earlier to squeeze in the running. If I have to scrap something on a given day, it’s my run. Consistency is important for all of these things, but there are times when you can’t get everything done, and so you have to make adjustments by removing the least important part of your routine.”
6. What skill sets and challenges come with coaching other than just being a runner yourself?
“Creating the training plans for multiple distances and abilities and making adjustments on the fly. Learning sports psychology, injury prevention, recovery, and new training methods to make sure everyone thrives.”
7. What’s the biggest life lesson you’ve learned from being a runner and coaching athletes?/ What’s one lesson you’ve learned from running that’s transferred over or changed other areas of your life?
“Don’t quit when things get difficult. Get to the finish line, even if how you get there isn’t the way you expected it to go.”
8. What’s one way that the Gospel has transformed the way you run or coach?
“Strive to love all the athletes equally. Be thankful for the physical and spiritual gifts God has given me and use them for him.”
After talking with Coach Malone, I have gained greater appreciation for the dedication it takes to be a coach. I’ve competed in other sports as well, but like Justin said, there is something about the running community that is just different. What has kept me going is the balance of teamwork, competition and encouragement. You’re competing against other runners but at the end of the day you’re competing against yourself, striving to give all you have. For Christians, that effort we give is not for our own glory, but for the Lord’s, that through our perseverance and attitude, the world would see Jesus. At the end of the day, running is another way we can see God working and changing lives.
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