Time to get great at something I hate

I’ve been known to pull off a stunt or two in my lifetime. I was always one of those writers, journalists and broadcast personalities that liked to experience things. Whether that was riding a bull at a rodeo, strapping into a race car and traveling at less-than ideal speeds, or going toe-to-toe with athletes nearly half my age and twice my skill set to feel the power of competition, I’ve been there and written about it.

There have been several other life experiences that either voluntarily or involuntarily that slide into that “crazy stunt” category. Maybe it was being bucked off a less-than-broke ranch horse while trying to navigate steep terrain, picking road gravel out of my skin after a motorcycle accident or taking more blows to the head than most physicians would deem acceptable. If I have learned one thing, I can take a lick. In boxing they refer to that as “having a good chin.” I’ve certainly wore a few punches on that, too.

I think I, however, may be on to my craziest idea yet, at 41 years old and certainly heavier than most who participate in this activity, I’ve joined Team World Vision through Mountain Bible Church to attempt to complete the 2022 Los Angeles Marathon. Yep, (insert gasps, chuckles, laughter and doubts here), I guess I am that crazy, maybe a few of those aforementioned shots to the head have finally caught up to me.

I’ve been around competition my entire life, whether as an athlete growing up, working professionally and even as an adult involved in a few sports recreationally, that desire to set a goal, to succeed and to accomplish something never goes away. Sure, many fill that with career-related goals and tasks and I certainly have plenty of those, but something changes when the challenge comes down to your physical ability to perform and complete something totally out of the realm of possibility.

Adding another wrinkle to this latest crazy idea, I despise running. I’ve never seen eye-to-eye with the activity, for me it was always a punishment for something on the field or courts. You do something wrong, you run, it was that simple. I recently heard a speech in which the presenter gave a wonderful piece of advice “get great at something you hate.” So, here we are. “Great” might be a stretch, but being able to at least cross that finish line in Los Angeles next March will be close enough to great, that is for sure.

The decision to join Team World Vision is also an important one. There are a few churches locally who partner with this organization each year for the marathon. The running is one part, but there is also a more important fundraising element, as well. World Vision has a global mission for providing clean drinking water to children and families in the developing world. Nearly 1,000 children under the age of 5 die every day from causes related to contaminated water, poor sanitation and improper hygiene. As a father of two children under five, I cannot relate to that level of loss, especially for a crisis that is solvable in our lifetimes.

Will I be running and walking this thing to test my own mettle? Absolutely, training for this will be a big test alone with plenty of challenges along the way. But there is also the humanitarian aspect that is much more important. I would encourage you to support any Team World Vision runner from Tehachapi, as they all seek the same personal and humanitarian causes. If you want to donate through me, to not only help motivate me to complete this latest crazy idea, but to ensure clean drinking water worldwide, please send me an email and I would be happy to point you in the right direction.

So, here we go, my craziest idea yet. Barring injury or a long-overdue waive of common sense, I hope to see the finish line in 2022. Time to get great at something I hate.

Corey Costelloe has covered NCAA, professional and local sports for more than 20 years as a reporter and broadcaster. He can be reached at [email protected]. Read more content at http://www.CostelloeMedia.com.