Faith, Fitness & Finish Lines

Running has a funny way of revealing what's underneath the surface.

For Claire Boyce, host of the Kind of Fast Podcast and part of the team behind Upward Running, the lessons didn't come from personal records or podium finishes. They came from the moments she struggled, failed, and had to figure out who she was when the results weren't what she hoped for.

Claire has been running since childhood. In fact, her mom originally signed her up for a running club as punishment for talking back. The plan backfired. Claire loved it.

That love carried her through high school and into college, where she competed as a collegiate runner. But running wasn't always a source of confidence. In one memorable race, she finished dead last. While everyone knows someone has to finish last, that experience became something bigger than a race result. It shaped how she viewed herself for years.

"I kind of decided my new identity was loser," she shared.

The race wasn't the real problem. The problem was believing her worth was tied to her performance.

Many runners can relate. Whether it's a finish time, a missed goal, an injury, or a disappointing race, it's easy to let running become a measuring stick for our value. But as Claire learned through years of difficult relationships, heartbreak, and rebuilding her life, our worth was never meant to be found in race results, achievements, or other people.

Today, her faith serves as the foundation she once searched for elsewhere.

That perspective is part of what makes Upward Running unique. The organization combines training plans, community, and faith-based encouragement to help people not only cross finish lines, but grow personally along the way. Through church-based programs and online coaching, runners and walkers of all abilities find support, accountability, and connection.

And connection matters.

As Claire put it, there's simply nothing like the running community. From first-time 5K participants to ultramarathon finishers, runners have a remarkable ability to show up for one another. They cheer for the front of the pack and the back of the pack. They celebrate effort as much as achievement.

The conversation also highlighted the surprising parallels between faith and running. Both require trust. Both demand perseverance. Both ask us to keep moving forward even when we can't see the finish line.

For Claire, one of her guiding verses is Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the plans I have for you." It's a reminder that even during life's hardest seasons, there is purpose in the process.

The same can be true on the run.

Sometimes running changes our fitness. Sometimes it changes our mindset. And sometimes it helps us discover that our value was never found in the finish line to begin with.

It was already there.