Fastest U.S. Marathon Runner to Appear at Christ Church

Ryan Hall, the fastest US marathon runner, will appear at Christ Church on Saturday and Sunday, September 9 and 10.

Hall holds the US record for the half-marathon and became the first US runner to break the one-hour mark for that event. He is also the only American to run a marathon in less than 2 hours, 5 minutes, a time he set at the 2011 Boston marathon. He represented the United States in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.

A man of faith, Hall has relied on God as his coach, even listing God as his coach on a race entry form. That gave him an opportunity to tell the world about his faith.

“I wanted to put myself in the position where I am desperate to hear from God,” he said in a 2012 interview with CNN to explain why he turned to faith-based coaching. “I’m just trying to be obedient and follow Him.”

Hall retired as a professional marathon runner in 2016, but after a break, he ran again. In January 2017, he ran seven marathons in seven days on seven continents in what is called the World Marathon Challenge. In Australia, on the final leg of the challenge, Hall completed his final marathon.

He is married to premier distance runner Sara Hall, and they have four daughters, Hana, Mia, Jasmine, and Lily, all adopted from Ethiopia in the fall of 2015.

While in at Christ Church, Ryan Hall will keep a blistering pace. He will be the keynote speaker at a Men’s Steak Dinner on Saturday, September 9 at 6 p.m. The next morning at 7 a.m., he will lead a run from Christ Church Field, at the southeast corner of Commercial Boulevard and Federal Highway. He will talk with runners in the Christ Church Gym at 8:15 a.m. He will then deliver the message, How to Run the Race of Life with Perseverance, in a united worship service in the Christ Church Fort Lauderdale Sanctuary, located at 4845 NE 25th Avenue, just south of Commercial Boulevard and east of Federal Highway in the Coral Ridge neighborhood.

For more information about Ryan Hall’s appearances, visit christchurchfl.org/ryanhall or 954.771.7300.

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