Richard Njoroge works out at Lawrence Athletic Club, 3201 Mesa Way, in preparation for The Half-Marathon for the Master, an event being sponsored by Blessed Hope Baptist Church, 1115 N. 1700 Road.

Everett Ledbetter, pastor at Blessed Hope Baptist Church, 1115 N. 1700 Road., works out at the Lawrence Athletic Club, 3201 Mesa Way. Everett and other church members were preparing for the Half-Marathon for the Master. In background is Richard Njoroge.

The idea came to him simply enough after watching a particularly inspiring few minutes of TV.

Sitting on his couch at home, Everett Ledbetter was taken aback by how formerly obese and sickly contestants on NBC’s hit weight-loss show, “The Biggest Loser,” were able to finish a 26.2-mile marathon just months after stepping into a gym.

“I’m not built to run, and I’m not really a runner,” Ledbetter says. “But I saw this on ‘Biggest Loser’ back in December, these people running a full marathon, and I said, ‘I think I could do a half.’ And I said, ‘Run, walk or crawl, I think I could finish a half.'”

Now, he hopes to use that seed of an idea to inspire so much more.

Ledbetter is planning what he is billing as The Half-Marathon for the Master. The May 22 race will be free and open to anyone who wants to run, from folks fresh off this weekend’s Kansas Marathon to people who just hope to walk a portion of the race, which will be done in four laps around the property of Ledbetter’s Blessed Hope Baptist Church, 1115 N. 1700 Road.

“That was kind of a New Year’s resolution-type thing between me and a couple of friends,” says Ledbetter, who works out with those friends most days of the week at Lawrence Athletic Club, 3201 Mesa Way. “And then I talked to the church and we decided to use it to draw awareness to Christ and also promote physical fitness.”

The pastor concedes it’s an unusual undertaking for a church, especially one of Blessed Hope’s size — the 6-year-old church plant has about 40 members who attend each Sunday service at the congregation’s building in northwest Lawrence. So, what did the church members think when Ledbetter pitched his Christ-centered race?

“I think he’s crazy,” says member Erin Roberts, before bursting out in friendly laughter. “I think he just comes up with wonderful and … ‘inventive’ isn’t really the right word … ways of outreach to try to bring people to the church and spread the word and get the message out there. It wasn’t that ‘out there’ for him. It’s not the traditional knocking on doors.

“He really enjoys physical activity. I think that’s a great incorporation for him and for us to be involved and be able to support it, that’s wonderful.”

And this will be a race with a message, Ledbetter says, though he won’t be preaching while pounding the pavement. After completing each lap, each participant will receive wristbands from church volunteers with religious undertones. It’s meant to be not only a way to voice the church’s beliefs but also to make sure the runners complete the course.

“So, there will be a subtle message that’s going to be given to the runners as they run,” Ledbetter says. “And we can photograph them as they’re finishing with three bracelets on their arm, saying that they’ve run the race.”

Right now, the only church member committed to running the full four laps solo is Ledbetter, though several others have committed to dividing the laps up as a group or helping to pass out water or wristbands, he says.

“If you want to do one lap, split it up (between team members) wonderful,” Ledbetter says. “I’m just trying to encourage people to be physically active.”

Workout buddy Jena Bloch says she’s planning on sharing the 13.1 miles with her husband, Ed. The Blochs aren’t members of Blessed Hope but like the idea of supporting an event that provides both a fitness goal for those who need one and an outlet for people who would love to run a race but can’t afford the pricey entry fees of larger-scale events.

“I am a fan of anything combining health and a greater sense of community, and the race being free is just a bonus and will hopefully encourage more people to participate,” Bloch says.