S.C. Assistant D.S. Runs Chicago Marathon
Oct. 27, 2009
Running and Ph.D studies form daily regimen
A Wesleyan assistant district superintendent completed the Chicago Marathon on October 11.
Rev. Tony Casey, of The Wesleyan Church's South Carolina District, placed 17,068 out of 45,000 registered participants. Tony finished with an official time of 4 hours and 24 minutes in the cold run in the Windy City.
Tony's one goal was to finish the race after months of intense training while simultaneously accomplishing coursework for his Ph. D at Trinity Evangelical Seminary in Deerfield, Illinois. He ran four mornings a week and walked every Friday. His training lasted an entire year but it took him about twelve weeks to mentally get over the hump and establish a good regimen.
"The greatest challenge wasn't fitting [the run] in," says Tony. "Determining I was going to do it and be faithful to the training was the challenge."
Several family and friends, as well as Wesleyans from South Carolina, made the trip north to support Tony in his endeavor.
"It was awesome to share the moment [of finishing] with dear family and friends," says Tony, who has served eight years in his current position. "My wife, Sherri, has been such an encourager over the last year."
Marathon participants hailed from all 50 states and more than 100 countries.
