Former KU basketball player Wayne Simien founded his Called to Greatness basketball camp on Christian principles.

Running 50 miles at one time may seem to outsiders like something God doesn’t intend for our earthly bodies.

But Muffie Keonin is of the mind that not only did God mean for the human body to complete such a feat, he encourages it.

So, when Keonin lined up for her second 50-mile ultra run, Lawrence’s Hawk 50, May 22, she knew God would see her through what became an epic 14-hour race complete with searing heat, miles of thick mud and a water-crossing high enough to reach her armpits.

“I actually enjoy the challenge while I’m running because I know it’s something I chose to do. … God gave me this body, God gave me my health, even the courage to do something like this, to start the race,” says Keonin, 27, of Olathe. “I had actually dodged a few snakes, I fell in the mud several times, lost my shoes, it was very hot — I got dehydrated — but, through all of that I knew I was going to finish.”

Faith and sports do have their connections, and it’s more than just a cross around a baseball player’s neck or the off-handed comment “thanking God” from the winner of the most recent basketball tournament. But some everyday athletes like Keonin are convinced that by just lacing up your shoes, you are praising God.

“I like the saying, ‘Be a witness to God, live by example, you’re a walking Bible,'” says Keonin, who often fulfills prayer requests during her races, which have included two 50-milers and several marathons. “You know, I don’t go out necessarily preaching, but … and this isn’t the reason why I run or do these races, but it kind of gives me credibility with certain people and it allows me to share my faith with other people when they discover, ‘Oh, you ran 50 miles, how was that?'”

What does she tell them? She ran with God: “I definitely couldn’t have done it on my own.”

Connecting faith and fitness

That frame of mind goes for professional athletes as well. And one of the prime examples of a religion-on-the-sleeve Christian athlete with connections to Lawrence is former Kansas University basketball star Wayne Simien.

Simien, who won an NBA championship with the Miami Heat, returned to Lawrence and started a basketball program with kids and Christ in mind, Called to Greatness. The program, which launched last year, is formed around Simien’s belief that faith and fitness go hand-in-hand.

“There are a number of connections and correlations that are related between sports and the Christian faith,” Simien told the Journal-World last June. “You can glorify God by how hard you work on the court … by being a good teammate, by listening to your coach and to your parents.

“There are just a ton of examples like that where we’re able to tie biblical principles into on-and-off-the court lessons in different areas that kids face in their regular life.”

It’s Kevin Wade’s job to teach children, teens and adults that lesson as the area representative for the East Kansas chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). Wade, of Eudora, says the organization counts athletes such as professional football players Drew Brees and Reggie White, KU football player Darrell Stuckey and Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt all as supporters. He says there are groups and individuals at the junior high, high school and college levels active in the FCA in and around Lawrence. The group’s main message? Play for an audience of one: God.

“We want to play our sports for that audience of one,” Wade says. “There’s nobody in the crowd looking at us. Moms and dads aren’t there. We are playing for one reason and that’s for the glory and honor of God.”

In fact, Wade says that sports seem to be the perfect conduit for faith — what better way to teach the stories of the Bible than to people steeling their own will and determination, he asks?

“I don’t care whether you’re a marathon runner or a professional football player or whether you’re just the old man that goes out golfing every Sunday after church … there’s no better platform (for faith) than through athletics,” he says. “I don’t think anything emulates life more than sports. You get knocked down, what do you do? It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s how quickly you get back up. Christ was knocked down many a time.”

Quiet time with God

Keonin, by her own admission, was knocked down many times during her run through the woods that line the north shore of Lawrence’s Clinton Lake.

She slipped on rocks, tripped on roots, waded through icy water, only to slog through miles more of slick mud during the race, which she finished in 13 hours, 53 minutes. She was just the second woman to complete a race that saw more than half the 50-mile entrants — 14 of 23 — fail at the task.

But through it all, she kept thinking of how lucky she was to have an entire day where she could have quiet time with God. Ever since she started running regularly in college she’s used her morning jogs as a time to pray and reflect.

“Everyone has that hobby that allows them to listen to God, whether it be knitting or reading or gardening or fishing, hiking, painting, drawing, cooking, you know, whatever it is … it’s just a matter of discovering what it is,” she says. “Running, I just discovered, is kind of my way of really getting in touch with God.”