The Marathon Runner Who Quit at Mile 25

In 2018, Des Linden won the Boston Marathon in driving rain, brutal headwinds, and near-freezing temperatures. But what most people forget is that around mile 15, she nearly dropped out. She told her training partner, Shalane Flanagan, that she was done — she had nothing left. Flanagan was struggling too, so Linden decided to pace her for a few miles, just to help someone else before she quit.

Something shifted in those miles. Step by step, her legs came back. The wind eased for a moment. She found a rhythm she thought was gone forever. She went on to win.

Elijah had just called down fire from heaven on Mount Carmel. It was the victory of a lifetime. And then Jezebel sent a single threat, and the mighty prophet crumbled. He ran into the wilderness, collapsed under a broom tree, and begged the Almighty to let him die. He was finished.

But God did not lecture him. God did not shame him. God sent bread and water — twice — and let him sleep. Then the Holy One led him forty days to Horeb, where He spoke not in the earthquake or the fire but in a gentle whisper.