Jim Ryun - Got the Gold

Jim Ryun was one of my boyhood heroes.

Running sub-four minute miles while still in high school and later setting the world record at 3:51, some of his high school records for 800, 880 and 1,500 meters were still standing 40 years later! While setting a U.S. mile record in 1965, still in high school, he actually defeated the reigning Gold Medal Olympian of the day, Peter Snell. That's like a high schooler beating Tiger Woods at the Masters.

I was crushed, like most U.S. sports fans, when he placed second at the 1968 Olympics a few years later. Ironically, he actually beat his goal-time by 1 second that day, but Kip Keino of Kenya was better. As my sister - who witnessed the race in Mexico's Olympic stadium that day - and I mused, he didn't 'lose' that race, but successfully earned a Silver Medal while doing his best.

Ryun had some tough times amidst all the glory. My dad recalls seeing him drop out of a mile race on a chilly, rainy day at the Drake Relays, a premier collegiate track event of the time. After a fall at the '72 Olympic Games in Munich, Ryun left amateur racing, and eventually became a U.S. Congressman for the state of Kansas.

I met him under much different circumstances, almost 20 years after Munich.

We were attending a stadium size Christian prayer conference in Indianapolis. On the final evening, as a demonstration of unity across all the denominations represented, the youth ran through the aisles of the packed dome, bearing small lights. They were noisily and enthusiastically following a trim, smiling gentleman with a torch held high in his hand. A Mr. Jim Ryun.

Until that moment, I'd no idea what ever 'happened' to Jim Ryun. No idea that the final fall at the '72 Olympics had been the turning point of his faith and an open door to Christian ministry.

Like a starstruck teenager, I made my way through the crowd afterwards, easily recognizing his unchanged profile. With no entourage blocking his access, I simply walked up to him and extended my hand, gushing something about being his biggest fan.

He warmly and kindly accepted my praise, as I clumslily searched my pockets for something to autograph.

"Here, I've got something," he said gently, as though this were the most natural thing in the world.

From a blue hip pack, he pulled a small, folded card and began writing with a pen slipped from the same pack. We made some additional smalltalk and then I yielded to others who had discovered the former Olympian standing there.

Reading my prize later, I realized that Jim Ryun had signed his name to a brief account of his journey to faith in Jesus Christ, and the turning point of falling down - then getting up.

Jim Ryun is still one of my heroes, but for reasons different from my boyhood admiration.

What do you believe?

Get a new Parachute

I took a parachute jump for one of my milestone birthdays.

You shuffled through a one day class, signed some release forms and then jumped out of a perfectly good airplane on purpose. Happy birthday!

There were only three or four basic things to remember.

Wear the chute correctly, jump clear of the plane, check the chute when it opens, and then land safely.

Easy enough when you look at it like that.

Since we were first timer's on a one day lark, our rip cord was clipped to the plane's floor. It had about 15 feet of extra strap. When you jumped out and reached the end of the cord, it yanked your chute open. They call it a static line jump, vs. a free fall where you pull the cord on your pack.

But that doesn't guarantee a flawless chute opening. Lots of things can go wrong. The lines going up to the parachute silk can get tangled. Most common, some of the chute sections might collapse or not open. I recall our rectangular parafoil having about nine of those cells across the top.

This is the part they really hammer home. If some of your chute cells don't open, you lose the lift that is slowing and controlling your fall. So, you look up as soon as the chute opens, twist your lines free and count the cells. If two or more (can't recall the exact number now) were collapsed, you could decide to "get a new chute." Simply stated, if the main chute isn't working right, you reach to your chest and pull the rip cord on the reserve chute. The instructor said this countless times during the course of the day. "If it's going bad, just get a new chute."

When you pull that cord to "get a new chute" the old one is released. You are left with the reserve chute and no further options.

It's a decision you have to make in split seconds as you hurtle towards the ground at 100 miles per hour. Do I go with what I have, or do I put my full trust in the alternative that I cannot see?

If the main chute is tangled or collapsed and useless, I imagine the decision is much easier than if just one or two or three cells are bad. Maybe I can survive that, maybe not. But at least I know what this chute looks like.

We're all hurtling toward the ground that signifies the end of our lives.

If we're at 30,000 feet of middle age, it seems like there's a lot more time to decide. But as the decades go by and the ground gets closer, the decision to change chutes seems more and more urgent.

I see people testing new chutes all the time. New spiritual beliefs, new philosophies, new lifestyles. They pull the cord and get a new chute. Most of them are tangled or only partially filled. Or they fail to open at all. So they pull it again. And again. New chute after new chute.

The apostle Paul said,

"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come! All this from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ..." 2Corinthians 5:17-18

When my chute opened, I was so relieved! Everything was in order. No twisting, no lingering doubts of bad cells. And after my trust was confirmed, I felt free to look around me. It was beautiful! The ground wasn't rushing at me so fast after all. The frantic wind was now the breeze that I literally floated on. I still wondered what exactly the landing would be like - but I was no longer afraid.

What do you believe?