Jim Ryun: Faith, Olympics, Congress & Camps

A lot of people know Jim Ryun as the high school kid who became a three-time Olympian and set a world record for breaking the 4 minute mile (that held for 36 years) and the guy who later served five terms in Congress. We wanted to go deeper than the highlight reel and ask what he’s built that’s lasted the longest: the Jim Ryun Running Camps, now entering year 51, and the simple system that keeps shaping young athletes long after the medals and elections fade. 

The camps emphasize real distance running fundamentals that parents, coaches, and high school runners can use right away: threshold training, tempo work, smarter recovery, and why rest is a skill. Jim also shares what the camp teaches about nutrition and performance, including a clear warning about how sugar can quietly drain energy and health. We even get into phones and social media, and why attention is one of the most important training tools your athlete has.

The heart of the conversation is what makes this more than a running camp. Jim explains how he weaves faith and character development into a performance environment, what spiritual challenges he sees in Gen Z athletes, and why transparency from adult mentors matters. He also tells a personal story from his early Christian life that pushed him out of comfort and into service, a reminder that belief becomes real when it turns into action.

If you care about youth sports, endurance training, Christian athletics, or raising grounded competitors, you’ll take something practical from this one. Subscribe, share this with a runner or a parent, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

For his in depth life story, make sure to check out our first conversation with Jim on Episode #23  of Amazing Greats from 2021.

"Amazing Greats"  is a library of interviews with highly successful people who have amazing career and life stories and who share how God has impacted their journey.  Hosted by broadcaster Ric Hansen & produced by Klem Daniels.   Available on Apple,  Spotify, iHeart, Google and our  YouTube Channel. 
Please help us grow our audience by "liking", "subscribing and "Sharing".   Thanks so much. 

Transcript

Reuniting And A Quick Life Sketch

Ric 0:38

How are you?

SPEAKER_00 0:40

It's great to see you. It's great to be with you again. I think you said it's been about five years. It doesn't seem like it's that long, but wow. I'm flying when you're having fun.

Ric 0:49

Yeah, no kidding. So that was, yeah, it was our first season of doing Amazing Greats. It was back in 2021. And uh you are episode 23. And I'm gonna, I'm gonna post that in the description of this podcast so that people could go back and listen to our conversation because it was a great story about your life. You've had an amazing life. And so we tracked it pretty closely from year to year and decade to decade. And so rather than repeat that all over again, we're going to um we're gonna talk about some other things, pivot to some different things that make up what Jim Ryan is all about. But I thought just for context, for people who did not listen to the previous episode, we'd we'd run through a bit of your life story. So we're gonna try to do this in just a couple of minutes and then move into, you know, the meaty stuff for this particular episode. Okay sounds good. That's all right. So here we go. So, first of all, you were not a great athlete in high school. You tried to turn out for all the teams that you wanted to play on, and nothing came to be. And you had a prayer back in those days. Even then, you were going to God for some help. And what was that prayer every night that you made?

SPEAKER_00 2:00

Well, I failed the baseball team, which was the church baseball team and the junior high basketball team, couldn't make the junior high track and field team. And I remember something the pastor had said about prayer, how important it was to communicate with God. Now, while I share this, I will say this first of all, it was a very self-centered uh prayer, but I was searching for identity. And so I'd pray every evening. Dear God, my life hasn't amounted to much, at least I didn't think so. And I'd appreciate it if you could help. And and by the way, if you can show up in sports, I'd appreciate that. And he did, because after two years of earning in high school, I was on my first Olympic team. So it was it's been an amazing journey written by God, and I've been allowed to live it.

Ric 2:40

Yeah, yeah. How cool is that! So you were a three-time Olympian, and there's some amazing stories that if you go back and listen to our interview prior to this, uh, they can hear all of those great stories. But you were the you were the high school record setter for the under four-minute mile. Nobody'd ever done that before. And in fact, your record held for under four-minute mile for like like 36 years or something like that. Hard to believe, isn't it? Hard to believe. And yes, it is amazing. Everybody, you know, I think wants to know how uh how fast you're running the mile these days.

SPEAKER_00 3:17

I'm actually walking more than I am running. At 78, I'm happy to be moving around and grateful for that. So my running is for the most part in the past, and yet I stay very, very active. So is it a 13-minute mile or a 15-minute mile? I don't even want to speculate on it, but it's you know, it's so slow that I kind of look at it now and then and I go, is that really did I really run it at four minutes in high school? And I have to look at some of the videos, and yes, I did. That was a long time last century, in fact.

Ric 3:45

Yeah, no kidding. This is been a while. So then you went um, you ran, not only did you run on the track, but you then ran for a political office, became a congressman in the state of Kansas for five terms, and you uh were proudly uh given the congressional what is the congressional uh It's the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

SPEAKER_00 4:07

There you go. I'm always a recipient, and it is a great, great honor.

From Olympic Miles To Public Service

Ric 4:14

And now we are at a another milestone in the life of Jim Ryan, and that is you have now uh just surpassed your 50th year of running the Jim Ryan running camps every summer. Um, and that is an amazing thing in and of itself. In fact, that's probably in the scheme of things, has been more a part of your life in terms of time than any other part of your life, correct?

SPEAKER_00 4:41

And it's a great opportunity to give back to the next generation. So it's all as a result of having become a Christian, my wife Ann and I, May 18th, 1972. And we decided at that point we wanted to dedicate our lives to however we could serve the Lord, and part of it was running, and so the running camps came out of that, and we're entering in this summer to the 51st year.

Ric 5:02

Yeah, and I gotta say, even in the last interview, we talked about your wife Anne and how pivotal she was with all of the things that you've done through your career and how important of a partner she's been along the way. And I must say, Catherine.

SPEAKER_00 5:21

And all of the things that happened in a political career. We're still married, happily married, and she's been a strong, steadying force uh in our marriage. And I'm so grateful for the gift that she is uh in our in my life.

Ric 5:34

And this time around, I connected for the first time with your daughter, Catherine. You also have three other kids, a couple, a couple of boys, twins, uh, and then and another gal in the in the mix. So you got a big, beautiful family, a wonderful wife, and your family life is good, I'm I'm assuming, right?

SPEAKER_00 5:50

It is it is correct. Four children, now 13 grandchildren, and they all offer tremendous perspectives and adventures that uh we're glad to participate in.

Ric 6:00

Yes, I bet. What the proud grandpa. So let's go, let's jump to the camps. Let's talk about the camps because one of the things that, you know, over 50 years, have you ever estimated how many kids you've touched, how many have been through the camps over those years?

Inside The Jim Ryan Running Camps

SPEAKER_00 6:16

Well, all of our family has participated in the camps. And I asked one of our sons one time, it's been a couple of years, how many you think we've had, because at one point we had three camps a summer, and he said, Dad, it's in the thousands. So, you know, we limit it to a hundred per week, but over 50 years you cover a lot of ground. And so, yeah, it's been large numbers, but numbers have never been our our issue. It's really being able to communicate with these young runners coming from all different walks of life, coming from all over the world, uh, and get having the opportunity to contribute to helping them not only as runners, but as young Christians as well.

Ric 6:52

So over the 50 years, there's got to be some things that have changed uh with the actual physical running abilities, the tools that you use, the training that you do. Uh has there been dramatic change in in that regard?

SPEAKER_00 7:03

Well, there have been a number of things, Rick. For example, when we started out, when I started out in the 60s, we had very little understanding of the physical and psychological makeup of running. In fact, what we tell our campers is you have the benefit of not just me, but the staff and all the experiences over 50 years to give you uh the best possible experience because you know we didn't understand, for example, how much threshold running, how important it was. Well, that becomes a big part of it. The different types of methods of training, uh, the types of shoes, the diet, we understand so much more than what we did in those days. And so they have the benefit of coming and learning from us. In fact, that's why we have campers that come back in the second, third, and fourth, and fifth years, because they recognize as one of our campers who was a doctor came and he said, you know, this is this is high-level stuff. He said, I'm a doctor, but I think this is PhD and running. And that's because we offer our campers as much information as possible and knowing that they can't absorb it all in one week, although they have the opportunity, but they continue to come back year after year because there's so much more to learn.

Ric 8:08

That's incredible. You were talking about threshold. What does that exactly mean?

SPEAKER_00 8:12

It it's being able to run what we call just a little bit harder than what you think you can. At the same time, you can run that for a tempo, a certain period of time that allows you to increase your threshold, your ability to sustain pain and be able to run at a good pace. So uh all those things are things that we talk about and teach in camp. We talk about polymetrics. Uh, my wife does a wonderful teaching on uh diet, uh, what they can eat, what they shouldn't eat. And of course, one of the things they don't want, they shouldn't be eating, is absorbing so much sugar. Sugar is a tremendous detriment to their ability to run fast and to maintain good health. So it all comes in a package starting on a Sunday, ending on Friday. In fact, you can go to our webpage, Ryan Ryan Running.com, get all the information, camp this year. We have two one-week camps. They're in the beautiful city of Carter Springs, but it's right at the base of the Pikes Peak. We call it the Pikes Peak uh regional area. And it's it's a it's a wonderful camp with great weather and just a little bit of altitude, uh, giving them that opportunity to understand how to expand their ability to sustain pain. How did the snow sugar thing uh go over with the campers? Well, it actually goes over pretty well, although there's some adjustments they need to make. Uh, and it goes over in the sense that they understand that it eats away at their energy and their health. And if you put it in a form like my wife Ann does, and the staff emphasizes, that it's not the good thing that some people have purported, but that it will steal from you uh the very thing you're trying to do, and that is to run fast to and to stay healthy.

Ric 9:42

Yeah, that and that makes all of a sudden make sense to them for sure. So, what about cell phones and social media at camp?

SPEAKER_00 9:50

Well, we had it, we have a policy that they can have their cell phones on in camp, uh, but when we're in camp session, they can't be using them at that point because they're there for a lecture or they're running. We want them to have their full attention. So it's a part of it. We encourage the social media aspect of it in the sense of letting their friends know what a wonderful experience it is. In fact, one of the things we do at camp is called FOB. With the first day, a lot of campers will ask, what is FOB? Well, that's flat on your back because one of the things that helps you as a runner is making sure you rest. And I when I was in high school, I had two study halls, one to study in, the other to sleep in. And so we emphasize that. And when they're flat on their back, if they can't sleep, it's a great opportunity to write home to mom and dad or whoever and say, This is a great camp. Can I come again next year?

Ric 10:37

Oh, yeah, yeah. There you go. Self-marketing. That's a good idea. Sure. We're talking with Olympic athlete and former congressman Jim Ryan on Amazing GRETES. Okay, so so the nuts and bolts of running is important, uh, but there's a huge other ingredient that you integrate into camps every year. And that is the character building and the spiritual and the faith aspects of making a whole person. So tell us more and kind of in depth about how you ingrain spirituality into the running.

Threshold Training And Smarter Workouts

SPEAKER_00 11:11

So we have a pastor who was a former professional soccer player from uh Ocean City, New Jersey, Matt Mayer. He's come in for the last several years in the campers, really enjoyed listening to him. He has a remarkable life. Again, he was a professional soccer player, and through a very unusual set of circumstances, he ended up one night after a game and when he sustained an injury, driving under the alcohol influence and killed a man. And so he went to prison. Uh, in that period of time, he was reformed. He'd been trained, he'd been raised in a Christian home, but really didn't take ownership of it until his time in prison. He did then, and he has a remarkable story to tell, and he communicates very, very well with these young runners, talking about, you know, the life of Christ, the disciplines that go with it, what you as a person, how you can develop your character. In fact, one of the things I talk about in camp, and Matt actually emphasizes is that, you know, as runners, we have time trials. And time trials, in my opinion, were always very challenging, but they were a measure of where you were in your training. And those time trials as a Christian are the trials that come that allow your faith to be growing. They allow your faith muscles to grow so you can sustain the challenges that you will have in the world. Uh, you're as a Christian, you're never going to be immune from them. But if you have the tools to work with, you'll be able to combat that and run and have a much more enjoyable life as a Christian.

Ric 12:33

So out of the camp, they're they're learning a whole lot more than just about the physical body and their running ability. So, and that is such an incredible part of it. You're involved in the camps every time around?

SPEAKER_00 12:46

I mean, there the whole time. Kath and our uh director is there, my wife Ann is there. Uh, we have staff that have started coming as campers, and they've been there now 15 years. They're part of staff, they're part of the teaching staff. So it's a it's a it's a community, if you will, a family that uh works together during the summer, and then we keep in touch with each other during the year, encouraging areas that might need some help. So uh it's a great experience. Again, we started these 51 years ago, after we both became Christians, we started realizing that our lives have been changed, and there would be an opportunity to influence the next generation. And that that's what is is represented in the Jim Ryan running camps at Ryan R Y U N Running.com. Look it up. There's all kinds of things, pictures, uh stories that I tell of the races that I set the world records, uh, and it shows some of the fun events that we do during the course of the week.

Ric 13:35

Uh and you're increasingly can't be kind of coming known as a multi-generational influencer from the 1960s uh to Gen Z. And from your perspective, I want to ask a few Gen Z questions, if I will, because you're dealing with them every year now. Um what are the biggest spiritual challenges that you see in young athletes?

SPEAKER_00 13:56

I think for the most part, the realization that there's a difference between religion and relationships. Let me explain that. We have runners that come and they go to church every Sunday, every Wednesday night, every time the youth group is open, and yet there's never really been a transformation in their life. And so we encourage them to move into a relationship with Jesus Christ, which means that sure you go to church on Sunday and Wednesday and all the other times, but during the course of the week, you develop a relationship. You start asking God questions, you expect answers, you read your Bible with an anticipation that God has a plan for your life. And I see that in these young runners coming in, they're given challenges that you and I have never faced and will never face because we're not their age and all the experiences, all the things that are available on social media. And so they're looking for help, and we offer that to them and that there's a relationship with a risen Lord Jesus Christ that can give them help in their school, in their lives, and all the activities they're going to have for the years to come.

Ric 14:52

Does that make sense to them? Are they are are they basically buying into the idea and really adopting it?

SPEAKER_00 14:59

They are, and it's amazing because they find out about camp, and a lot of them are puzzled that we can have such a wonderful camp, a running camp in a Christian atmosphere, and then come back year after year. So it's it's not only buying into it, but taking ownership of it. They start realizing there's a great opportunity for them going back to the schools and with their teams and having an influence and helping their teammates and their coach and their classmates in all different walks of life.

Ric 15:25

Yeah, you know, we hear so many bad stories about what, you know, the youth of today, you know, and all of those things. And I'm sure our parents said the same things about us back in the day. But it was all a whole different set of circumstances. But uh there is that generational gap. And sometimes crossing that gap and bringing them into the wisdom that you and your staff have been able to accumulate over the years and now contribute with is a great gift to these young people. And I'm just happy and grateful to see that they're buying into it.

Food Sugar Rest And Phone Rules

SPEAKER_00 15:58

They're saying, yeah. And if I can say this, Rick, I think one thing that helps us is we're transparent with them in the sense that we as adults, as older Christians, have trials and temptations and all kinds of things as well. And so if we're transparent with them, uh that helps them understand the honesty and the integrity and the purpose uh and a hope for the future. And so that's a big part of what goes on because as the staff works with them during the course of the week, they have stories to tell, they have experiences to share, and that's what makes the camp uh to come alive in such a fashionable, wonderful way.

Ric 16:32

Now, do you actually do uh a chapel service?

SPEAKER_00 16:35

You know, I mean we have a chapel in the morning about 20 to 25 minutes. Uh, and one of the complaints we have when camp is over, can we have more chapel? Well, I remind him that it's a running camp and a Christian atmosphere. We give them everything we possibly can in the area of running. But Matt Mayor has a wonderful ability to communicate with these young people that it incites them and gives them hope, and they want to hear more and more. And so that's why you know that comes up. And in fact, at the end of camp, uh, we do a survey, and it used to be I was number one on the survey, but I'm not anymore. Matt Mayer is. You know, they love him and they want to hear more, and I think they're looking for hope and direction, and we're happy to be able to provide that for them.

Ric 17:14

Yeah, is there such a thing as I mean, do do things happen like you see actual people coming to Christ, making a proclamation that way, or not so much?

SPEAKER_00 17:24

We give that opportunity to them. Many of them come as Christians, and there's this is a growth for them. Some of them go home and as a result of everything that's happened, have that transformation. It's a it's there. We give them that opportunity. But more and more as time goes along, it really serves as, if you will, an opportunity for growth in their spiritual life. Uh, and it's enriching. See, we as a staff, we benefit from that too. We get to hear their stories and the things they've gone through, so that it's it's enriching for us as well.

Ric 17:54

Yeah. Well, and the other person that gets good high marks on the reviews, from what I understand, is your wife Anne.

SPEAKER_00 18:01

Oh, yes, absolutely. She is the the mother of the camp, uh, and the campers all love her. Her personality is one of uh bubbly, vivacious. Uh, she was a cheerleader in college, so this transfers to being a cheerleader at the running camps, and they all love her dearly because she has this amazing personality that allows her to understand, identify with them, and give them hope uh and a purpose for their lives.

Ric 18:27

Yeah. The story, a couple of things that I uncovered were uh people that get homesick at camp uh and nurtures them back to uh to to being not so freaked out about that. Yeah. That's her that's her skill, that's her gift for gift that she has.

SPEAKER_00 18:45

Yes, it's unique. She's never met a stranger. First day of camp, there's she knows more about or as much about them as she'll know as the whole week goes along because she uh relates to them very well.

Ric 18:56

Yeah, that's so great. We're getting the inside scoop on a running camp for kids in the 51st year on Amazing Greats. Okay, so if you don't mind, I want to jump into your personal story, just ask you a few personal questions about your own faith journey. Um, how has your relationship with Christ deepened in the last few years? Since we've talked last year, has there been things that have like really said to you, wow, this is a surprise and an exciting new thing that I found in Jesus Christ?

Faith And Character As Training

SPEAKER_00 19:25

Let me let me share this, and it's a little bit of an older story, but I think it's very applicable about what you're wanting to hear. And one of the transformations that took place in my life, this took place when we lived in Santa Barbara. I was a young Christian at that point, had gone to the beach in our car for a reason I don't remember, but was having what I call a quiet time. I was reading my Bible and uh just kind of praying and seeking the Lord. And I started to notice on my left somebody walking up to the window. And the closer he came, the more I realized that it was a homeless guy. And so he came to the window and he said, Do you have uh anything you can give me, any money or anything? And I said, I don't have any money, but I have something else that's free. And I thought at that point he'd be upset with me because I didn't give him any money, but he sat down outside the car door and he said, Tell me about it. So I shared how I had become a Christian and what a difference it made. Now, having said that, in one, if you can picture this, Rick, in one respect, I'm sitting in the car listening with this man, and then all of a sudden I have this conversation at the same time with the Lord, and the Lord is saying, Now, uh show your Christianity by taking him to breakfast. And I thought, wow, that's gonna be tough. You get him in this car, it's a fairly new car. He smells, you know. My wife hasn't been in that seat very much, and so I thought, well, okay, Lord, I'll ask him. He probably won't want to go. So I said, Sir, if you'd you'd like to have some breakfast, I'll be happy to treat you. Before I got those words out, all of a sudden he's in the car beside me. And I'm thinking, oh my. So we went to McDonald's and got some breakfast. And when we finished, I took him back to the beach. And again, I'm having that conversation with the Lord while I'm talking to him. And the Lord said, Say you meet him back here next week. And I thought, okay, I'll say that. But he probably won't be there because he's one of these guys that drifts in and out of town. I said, How about how about next week? Uh, same time, same place. And he said, Yeah, that sounds great. And I thought, okay, so I went home. So the next week came. That morning, uh, the family put together some coffee and some uh, you know, snacks before breakfast. So I went down with this hope that I would see just this man. I didn't see just that man, but there were about 10 others as well. So all of a sudden we're on the beach, here I am, a young Christian trying to share my faith at the same time. I don't know what to do, how to handle these guys. But you know, their stories were amazing. They had been hurt in some way. Uh, one individual, for example, had been a baker, and his partner had cheated on his wife, and he was angry and bitter. So he ran away, uh, trying to hide from all of this. And it's that was true of all of those in that gathering. So we met, we talked, we I just shared Christ with him. We had breakfast, what I could take to him in the morning. That went on for a few weeks, and one morning. Morning, one of the mornings I was to meet him, went down to the beach area again, and they never came back. They were all gone. The reason I share that with you is that that's one of the things that transformed my life was not just reading your Bible, but putting into action, uh, doing what you can to reach out and share that life with somebody else. And for me, that was a transformational moment because it was taking me out of my comfort zone uh into an area uh with my paradigms being changed to the extent that I realized people want to see action, not just what you have to say.

Ric 22:30

And God does that. He puts you in uh in uncomfortable positions, and it's up to you, uh, you know, to make the leap uh to do that. And here you are doing a church plant on the beach. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 22:42

It was amazing and still becomes a measure for me to remember that that's part of what we are to do is to put ourselves in positions that God can use us.

Ric 22:52

Yeah, yeah. So you're in public life, uh, being in public life for so many years, you know, from an an elite athlete to um your time in Congress uh to now the running camp and all of the things you speak at places all over the world. And so the question is is how do you keep those two things together? I mean, your faith and your public profile. Is that a difficult position to be in?

SPEAKER_00 23:19

It is, but it's not. Let me explain again another transformational moment. When I was running for Congress, uh, I had one reporter that came up to me. I was in the process of running for the U.S. House and Second District of Kansas. And she said, you know, you're very open about your faith, and you do understand, don't you, that religion and politics don't mix. And I said, Well, that may be true for some, but for me, it mixes because had I not have become a Christian, I would still be the typical athlete thinking the world revolved around me. But once I became a Christian, I realized that I was to serve people and help them. And I said, my hope and prayer here is if the people of Kansas will uh agree with that, they'll put me in office and I'll do everything I can to serve them from Washington, D.C. back to Kansas. So, you know, it was a moment when putting into practice, getting off that pedestal and becoming a servant is very vital if you really want to have a good testimony.

Ric 24:11

The guy that I I don't I don't want to get into politics because there's that's always a scary place to go. But there is a guy that I really admire, and I've been watching him from afar, is James Tallerico, who is very bold about being public about his love of Jesus and following Jesus. I don't know if you followed him at all, but he's he's a great guy.

SPEAKER_00 24:31

Okay, good. No, I don't have I haven't followed him. What's something he'll be praying about today? Uh I think he's praying about the challenges since we're talking about young people that they experience, and that parents will take the opportunity to interact more with them, making themselves vulnerable to the fact that they have some of the same trials and struggles that their children have. And being transparent, that makes it much more available for them to relate to love and take care of their children. Uh, as we talk to the campers, that is one thing that they want is to have you know that relationship with the parents, and that will last them the rest of their lives. Do you have a church community that you love there?

Ric 25:12

Uh you're in you're in Florida, right? We're in Tampa, yes. Yeah. So uh do you have a community that you're um a part of and active in?

SPEAKER_00 25:21

Well, we have a community we're involved in with some other believers, and we attend church. And, you know, for us, really, it's that opportunity on Sunday or whenever during the course of the week to share either a Bible verse or a story or a scripture uh that will allow you to grow. For example, one of the things that helps me is my mornings, uh, if you will, quiet time. I spend a lot of time and interpreting Bible from John Corzen, C-O-U-R-S-O-N, J-O-N. And he allows you to understand scriptures uh in a way that I, you know, it helps me get the insight uh to to understand maybe the history behind it as to why things unfolded as they have. Right now, I'm in Kings and it's talking about King David and all of the trials he went through. And he was as an individual, you know, he didn't have a stellar life. He had a lot of things that didn't go well. Uh he had an affair, he ended up killing a man uh so he could have the affair. But the one thing that's come through that, and John Corzon emphasizes that is that God looks at the heart. You know, David was trans was transparent in the sense that he knew he had done wrong and he would get to God on his knees and say, Please forgive me. Let's go on from here and learn from that. And that's a very important part of it. That's what our community is that we work with here in Tampa, uh, is sharing life stories and Bible experiences that help us grow. What's the name of that book from John Corson? John Corson. It's basically a paraphrase. Yeah, paraphrase of the Bible. It's three volumes. You can get it on Amazon. Uh, it's very rich. Uh, and the thing that I like, one of the things I like about it is it's old King James. And old King James is very awkward to read, but it what it causes me to do is slow down and understand more of what's being said in the context in which it's being said. And then he'll give you an understanding in regular English, you know, what was happening there if you want to know what was taking place in those days.

A Beach Encounter That Changed Him

Ric 27:13

Oh, that would be so helpful. Uh, and it's old testament as well as New Testament?

SPEAKER_00 27:17

Old Testament, New Testament. Uh, there's three volumes, uh, Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. Uh, so it's it's extensive uh and I think very, very rich. Oh, good.

Ric 27:27

That's good to know. I'll I'm gonna I'm gonna pick that up and definitely take a look at it because that's you know, with all Christians, and I'm uh you don't remember, but I'm a fairly new Christian. So um Bible reading is not something that is comfortable for me because it's difficult to understand in in most, especially the old testament is more difficult than the new. Um so I need that help, and thank you for that. Well dude. Rick Hansen with the life mission of Jim Ryan and the story of his amazing running camp.

SPEAKER_00 27:56

When I started out, it was uh uh, if I may say NIV, uh national NIV, and it helps me. It was very understandable, but I've gone to course and with the new with the King James because again, it slows me down, causes me to look up words and to understand more of the the great richness that's in the Bible and the stories that are being told.

Ric 28:17

Very cool. Eugene Peterson is also one of those guys that has been able to kind of make it more real and readable with his paraphrasing as well. So okay, we're gonna do a rapid fire question here. Are you ready? I hope so. All right, here we go. Um, Olympics or Congress? Where did you feel more pressure?

SPEAKER_00 28:36

That's an interesting question. I felt pressure in both of them, but both of them were related to the internal pressure of expectations that I put on myself. And so, you know, while being involved in those events, you could say they were full of pressure, they were, but the larger pressure in both of those was the expectations that I put upon myself.

Ric 28:56

What about the one that had the most rewards for you?

SPEAKER_00 29:00

Well, they have both had rewards. I mean, I won a silver medal in the Mexico City Olympics, overcoming a very difficult uh racing at eight or seven thousand feet, and in Congress just remaining true to the principles of Christianity because you're challenged daily uh under different circumstances with different uh experiences, uh not to compromise, but to wonder why you are there. So they both had their rewards uh like rewards in life. They're there, you just have to look for them sometimes. Okay, the hardest race of your life, not physically but spiritually. Uh the hardest one, well, was becoming a Christian because you see, I had been churched all of my life, and then in 1972, I started having uh on the way to what I hope would be a third Olympics and Olympic gold medal. Running well, uh it was a 351 mile, but when you're running 419 on national television, that's not exactly the time or direction you want to go. So I was I was in a way angry of God. I kept saying, What's happening? Why is that not going well? And what I started realizing is that he was allowing a trial in my life to bring me into a closer relationship with him, which came through some friends, Bernie and Claire, an older couple who shared with us what it was to be born again. And so that was a tough trial, but it was one of the great rewards.

Ric 30:15

Remember one time you said you went to church with some kids in high school, and you thought that that would be a good idea to find uh to see uh girls, to have an opportunity to meet girls was at this camp thing. So I just remember that as a funny story you told before. Okay, one Bible verse that carried you through everything.

SPEAKER_00 30:35

Well, the one I use when I sign an autograph is the one that I most reflect on. That's John 3, 3 to 8. When I sign an autograph, I'll say, Go of God my name, and then John 3, verses 3 to 8. And that's is basically the story of Nicodemus going to Jesus at night, basically asking the question you and I would have asked if we'd been there. How do you become born again? How do you become a Christian? And that message is very uh profound in that scripture. And that to me is one that not only encourages me, but sends a message along with the autograph.

Ric 31:06

Very cool. So you have uh a couple of ways that we can help in supporting you and and what you're doing. Number one is the the running camp, obviously. So tell us about um just you know, is there age restrictions, uh, how much time is committed? Is there an expense? How much does it cost? I don't know if you want to get into all of that, but I think for people who are interested, they'd uh you know love to know. So can you help us with that?

Pressure Principles Support And Farewell

SPEAKER_00 31:34

Anyone from age 13 up is eligible to come to camp. Sometimes we think it's just high schoolers, and that is the majority of those that come, but sometimes adults want to come and they are welcome to come. Uh camp is uh is you know, again, basically Sunday through Friday. Uh there's all kinds of different opportunities to get involved. We give discounts for teams, dis discounts to and scholarships as well. And so we are a 501c3 that if people want to write a check to Jim Ryan Ministries, they can help that way. And we'll distribute that over the course of the expenses for staff and helping runners come to camp. So all of that uh is how we continue to function uh going into our 51st year.

Ric 32:13

Is there a way to do it online as well? To donate online?

SPEAKER_00 32:16

You can go to RyanRunning.com and I think our daughter has set it up that way. Otherwise, you can write uh Jim Ryan uh Ministries, P.O. Box 173737, Tampa, Florida. And I don't remember the zip code, but I'm sure you can find it.

Ric 32:30

Well, I'll find it, and we'll put it in the description notes here for sure. One uh lie that athletes believe today.

SPEAKER_00 32:39

I I think if I would say that, I would say sometimes they believe so much in themselves that they don't have a real healthy perspective of what the world's really about. Uh and that's that's understandable because sports, in a sense, is very self-centering. Uh, you get great adulation when you do things well. But I think if there's a the biggest weakness I see is that there's life after sports, and that's where the majority of your time is going to be spent. So, you know, get the perspective that there's more to life, and that's that's what helped me was by becoming a Christian. I realized that there was a bigger plan than just for me to run well and to run fast and have wonderful accomplishments, but to reach out to others and help them in every way possible.

Ric 33:19

Yeah. And it seems to me like uh athletes, college athletes, professional athletes uh in all realms, uh tend to be pretty vocal about their faith. And and uh, you know, in interviews and that kind of thing, they're not bashful. And I think that's important for other athletes, young athletes, to really look up to. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:37

Yeah, I think it is. In fact, you'll see that more and more as time goes along because a lot of them have had the rich experience of doing well, but finding out once they've accomplished all these things, there's still an empty feeling in their lives.

Ric 33:49

Yeah. And we've talked to a lot of athletes on this podcast because I love love getting their stories because they always have trials and tribulations and triumphs. And it's all a part of everybody's life, but it's really obvious in an athlete's life, you know, because they're on stage all the time. So you do have a book out. It's been out for a while, 2008. I think you published the book, uh, The Courage to Run.

SPEAKER_00 34:11

Is it still available to the public? You can get it, you can find it online, Amazon, and other places. Uh, we don't have many of those anymore, but they are sometimes available at our RyanRunning.com website. Uh, it is basically a 60-day devotional in which I take running experiences and put them together with a scripture that provides encouragement. And uh it's been well received, and we still get some very nice comments about it.

Ric 34:36

All right. I did not know that it was it was written as a devotional, so that's very cool. Uh, how else can we support you? Is there any any anything else that we as a community can help you with or your community with?

SPEAKER_00 34:48

I think just continue to pray for the staff and the campers. Uh, the staff puts aside two weeks every summer to come to camp, and that means they have to figure out how to plan their schedule for that. Uh, and they give up a lot to come. And then also prayer for the young runners coming that they'll have that experience that will help them travel on to the rest of the journey and and see what is possible that running is an experience that lasts, but there's much more uh in the years ahead.

Ric 35:15

All righty. Well, do say hello to Ann, although she doesn't know me, but tell her I I admire her from afar. And to Catherine, too, who is wonderful. She's the one that kind of got us back together again to do this today. So appreciate that as well. God bless you, Jim Ryan. Thank you so much for what you're doing and what you do do.

SPEAKER_00 35:36

Thanks for this time. I really appreciate feeling the atmosphere and then the way you handle all the questions along the way. So that's like the story of the life.

Ric 35:49

Thanks for joining me for a very cool conversation with Jim. Thank you for taking some time to listen to our show today. Please help us out by including family from the institution of the