Run The Race

Winning on and off the field, Head Baseball Coach Tim Fanning has led the Glenwood Gators in East Alabama to 11 State HS Championships in his 22 years at the helm. He's also been the Athletic Director more than 2 decades. We talk about his love for the game...playing college and pro baseball...using the sport as a vehicle to point people to Jesus...the foundations for his coaching...a different ki...

This episode comes out on GOOD FRIDAY, as we mark the death of Jesus, sacrificing himself on the Cross. And on Easter, we celebrate God's Son rising from the grave, conquering death as a Savior for our sin. I asked a diversity of faith leaders across Georgia (many in Columbus) and Alabama - who have been previous podcast guests over the 5+ years of "Run The Race" - to share about the significance...

What happens to a warrior's soul when he/she takes a life? In a new video series, world renown Army combat vet and chaplain MAJ (Ret) Jeff Struecker answers that question and more, about military service members and law enforcement pulling the trigger and killing someone, to protect others. The Pastor at 2 Cities Church in Columbus and US Army Ranger Hall of Famer - who had 17 war deployments, inc...

“March Madness” is here! My favorite sporting event is the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. And on this week’s podcast, we’re talking basketball and staying fit in March with a coach and player, a pair of Army veterans. One of them created a league that’s helping to save service members’ lives. We dig into the MBA (not the NBA), how sports help the milita...

Enjoy playing games with family and friends? This week's podcast guest loves it and has some insight on some card and board games you may or may not know. This pastor in West Georgia and his wife also created a website "One Board Family" a decade ago dedicated to their passion for tabletop gaming, hosting a special event THIS weekend! He talks about that, how playing games create opportunities for...

It can be a delicate balance between exercise - like long distance running - and nutrition. Are you eating enough? A lot of endurance athletes do not. This week's "Run The Race" guest has some sound advice to help you with food and training plans for your next race, whatever distance it is. (2:44) Registered dietician nutritionist (RDN) and personal trainer and certified ultramarathon running coac...

He was a police officer in East Alabama, where he grew up, then Mack Ballard got a new call from God. Now, for more than four decades, he's been a minister and missionary and chaplain for the Opelika Police Department. And he just wrote his first book - helping us better be able to witness to others - called "One Heart At A Time: Simplifying Outreach For the Body of Christ." https://www.amazon.com...

I am now 50 years old, proud of it! And I just ran marathon in state #38, which was Michigan - in the snow! I talk about both those monumental moments in this shorter personal and solo episode of the "Run The Race" podcast. I give my thoughts on these markers in my life, from God's faithfulness and celebrating the past/future on this landmark birthday...to the extra clothes/food for the 26.2 miles...

Being a parent is difficult, at times, but imagine if your 19-year-old daughter was a victim of sex crimes. That's what faced this week's podcast guest, a father who talks about how crucial his faith in God was in this disturbing situation, theirs being the 1st human trafficking case prosecuted in Georgia/USA involving an adult survivor. I will be moderating a special panel discussion on Thursday,...

The 54th running of one of the biggest sports events in the world, The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race (54th running), begins with a ceremonial start in Anchorage on March 7, led by this week's guest on the "Run The Race" podcast. Jeff King is known as the "winningest musher in the world," having won the 1,049-mile very challenging Iditarod four times (1993, 1996, 1998, 2006). Now he and his family l...

An Army officer on Fort Benning, who's seen plenty of difficult things during his almost 15 years of deployments and training, has been writing poems for the last few years and has now released a more than 100-page book of that poetry called "The Spurs of Service," hoping to inspire others to share their emotions, and save lives after he experienced two friends killed in Afghanistan and one soldie...

After 20 years in the US Army, our latest guest on the "Run the Race" podcast continues to be an avid long distance runner and is now a life coach - helping you meet your small and big goals, maybe ones you made for 2026.  (2:12) Retired Staff Sgt. Laurie Miorana in Columbus GA - who has a civilian job on Fort Benning - talks about those New Year's "resolutions," why people fail and how you c...

He's been on the radio for more than 40 years, many of those in the Columbus GA area! His voice and name (and face) make him a local celebrity. And he's outspoken about his love for Jesus! Back on air after a scary battle with cancer and open heart surgery, Bear O'Brian (real name is Wade Collier) opens up about his struggles and tells radio/life stories as the latest guest on the "Run The Race" p...

With this episode coming out on New Year's Eve, time to start working on those 2026 goals! This week's "Run the Race" podcast guests, a couple in Columbus GA, can help you with those "resolutions" or whatever you want to call them. They are the leaders and race directors for REVOLUTION RUNNING, that puts on around 10 races eacg year in different parts of Georgia. (4:20) John (JP) and Jenna Pollard...

A week before Christmas now, a Columbus GA pastor is remembering (2:15) a special Christmas Eve service he led for many soldiers in Saudi Arabia amidst war in 1990 when it was, at least briefly a "Silent Night." The story will move you. He gets emotional talking about service members singing that song, in a Muslim country, as the Gulf War began. (9:05)This week's podcast guest, Pastor Bud Rupel, t...

After being a football star for Harris County High and the University of Georgia, Jordan Jenkins was drafted into the NFL almost a decade ago. (4:44) Fast forward to now, an injury forced him out of the sport and he's helping veterans in his hometown - after growing up being the son of an Army Sgt major. As the latest guest on our podcast, Jordan Jenkins talks about that charity effort...UGA footb...

You know the holiday classic Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Story" - with Scrooge at the center. A longtime evangelist and Columbus GA native has been playing that role for a decade now in "The Ebeneezer Experience." Pastor Joe Phillips took a break from the shows and sermons to join me on the podcast to also talk about using comedy to spread the Gospel...how his rough childhood and God whispers an...

A popular singer shares a lot about faith, his songs, and their current Grace & Glory Tour on our “Run The Race” podcast. Nationally known Contemporary Christian artist David Crowder aka CROWDER joined me via Zoom. He will be in concert this Sunday night 7pm at the Columbus (GA) Civic Center, along with more big names Zach Williams and Matt Maher on stage. They call it country grit...

This week’s podcast guest is the all-time leader in interceptions in arena football – 117 of them by the former player nicknamed “Night Hawk.” Columbus GA native Damian Daniels is now the head coach of the Columbus Lions, the same team he won 4 championships with! We talk on “Run the Race” about football, fitness, changes coming for his Lions, and more. (5:51) W...

It is now again the biggest marathon in the WORLD with more than 59,000 finishing the New York City Marathon this past Sunday! Wow. It was my first time running this race, my 40th marathon overall and in state #37. For this mega race recap, I got help from my college friend Michael Rodgers who just ran his 12th NYC Marathon and worked for almost a decade for the New York Road Runners that are in c...

I'm in the hot seat for this one, as I play for you Raven Fairbanks' interview of me on her "Raven In Real Life" lifestyle show/podcast. Before that...a quick recap of my first time running the ATH Half Marathon through Athens GA and the University of Georgia campus with my son, who's a senior at UGA. (6:25) This is a chance for you to get to know more about your "Run the Race" host. Raven asks me...

After a nearly 14 year Army career, being a leader most of that, this combat vet is leading in a new way - as an associate pastor and leadership coach in Columbus GA. We talk about what he learned in the Afghanistan War...why health concerns ended his time in the military...getting the call from God...what football taught him about being a leader...and co-hosting a podcast based in the Bible. (2:3...

He's taken on diabetes almost his entire life, and now this 21-year-old college student is running his first marathon for a cause related to his disease, and not just any race but the New York City Marathon a month from now! We talk in this episode about his daily health challenges, having Type 1 Diabetes...the benefits of exercise for diabetics and misconceptions...preparing for 26.2 miles and wh...

She's an Uptown girl (in Columbus GA) and the founder, leader of an online magazine and platform called "Electric City Life" for more than a decade. Through it, she promotes positive things happening in the community - local events, music, films, more. Jacy Jenkins is also on a new journey of sobriety and faith. (2:29) Jacy says she's not an alcoholic but has done plenty of social drinking, but no...

She's the national director of the world's largest Christian humanitarian organization that's been helping people in poverty for 75 years, across 100 different countries. And later this week, this mom and recent cancer survivor is running the Berlin Marathon for the cause...while I'm training now to run the NYC Marathon this fall for Team World Vision too! (3:20) Lyndsey Dean Ratchford aka "LDR" l...