Jon Rankin: Limitless
(Elite Athlete Blog Entry 18)
Posted August 24th, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Jon Rankin
Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Elite Athlete Blogs, Jon Rankin
Welcome to the official blog of rising U.S. track & field star Jon Rankin; the inaugural member of The Final Sprint’s Elite Athlete Blog Series. Be sure to check back every other Wednesday for Jon’s latest entry at http://jonrankin.thefinalsprint.com/
I believe the greatest feeling in the world is to know that we’re capable of more than we will ever realize in our lifetime. As I watched the men’s 100m final a few days ago there were a lot of things that went through my mind and my heart. I was in awe of the margin of victory and the ease with which the race was won. And I was inspired because the new world record was a testament to the fact that we’re capable of still going faster than we ever thought possible. Watching that performance motivates me to continue to set my sights high and never limit myself to a time. Such a performance warrants the thought of never being satisfied with my personal best until I stop competitively running. Until that day I must continue to push at the barriers that currently exist.
What truly is the limit of the human body? At this point we don’t really know. And I hope we continue to push the boundaries to come closer to finding an answer to that question and that we do it honestly.
When I first started in running it was all about running fast. I dreamed of breaking four minutes in the mile. I desired to some day be the world record holder. I wanted history to remember me as the fastest miler of all time. Those goals were fantastic (fantastic meaning extremely ambitious) because they were like the stars that we gaze up at every night, they were far beyond my reach then and, in many ways, they still are. Even though I had those dreams as youth, I’m still motivated by running faster and faster with every race that I attempt. Yet, the important lesson that I’ve learned while chasing my shadow these past 13 years is that I will always be chasing my shadow. That will always be the case because I will always want to run faster and I’ll always want to be better.
The thing that I must never lose sight of is why I do it. If it were purely for the sake of just running fast because I wanted that it would be a fruitless effort done in vain. I’ve come to realize that I’m most motivated when I run with a purpose in mind. I no longer run solely because I want to be the fastest, I run because I want to live in a better world. I run as fast as I can to bring people joy and inspiration. And I run to win because I want to prove to myself that we are perfect the way we were born; that we are capable of anything because of the power of our minds, hearts and spirits; and that the greatest performance enhancement will not come out of a scientists’ lab, but from deep within the vast corners of our minds.
If we can set ourselves free from the constraints of limited faith in what we’re born with the perception of what we can accomplish will exist far beyond our own comprehensions and lifetimes.
With this in mind I’m very excited to mention the race that I’m most looking forward to during the second half of this summer season. It‘s a charity oriented 5k/10k hosted by the not-for-profit organization Soles 4 Souls, Inc. this September 13th in Nashville, Tennessee. My manager, Merhawi Keflezighi, and my not-for-profit partner, Jessica Crate will be running as a team (“TEAM Rankin”) to show our support for this great running event and for the cause of donating gently worn shoes to those in need of such a gift. This particular run will be very meaningful to me because I’m be given an official opportunity to run for others; and that every step we take towards the finish line will be one more step towards positively effecting the life of another human being. These are the kind of things that now drive me to run my best and with all of my heart. It will be a day I know I’ll never forget. I invite any and all to learn more about the cause of donating and/or recycling shoes and to support these movements by visiting Soles 4 Souls, Inc.’s website: www.giveshoes.org and Nike, Inc.’s Reuse-a-Shoe program websites: www.nikereuseashoe.com and www.nikegrind.com.
Thanks for all of your support!
- Jon
Help “Team Rankin” Change the World One Pair at a Time! For more information and/or to contribute to the efforts of “Team Rankin”, please click here or go directly to: http://www.active.com/donate/teamrankin
To comment on this entry and to to send questions and/or feedback to Jon, please please click here.
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(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #9) - Jon Rankin: Growing Up
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Tags: charity, elite athlete blog, elite athlete blog series, jon rankin, jon rankin blog, middle distance, philanthropic efforts, professional running blog, team rankin, the final sprint elite athlete blog series, thefinalsprint.com elite athlete blog series, track and field, u.s olympic track & field trials, u.s. olympic track & field trials, ucla, ucla bruin, UCLA track
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The Final Sprint
WAY TO GO “TEAM RANKIN” shoes4thesoul.GOOD LUCK Merhawi,and Jessica.i will be cheering you on.
August 25th, 2008 at 1:05 pmThanks mom!!
August 26th, 2008 at 9:35 pmJon-
That was beautifully written, and such a true testament of the man you are. Congratulations on all of your accomplishments, and know that you are touching peoples lives in ways you can’t even imagine, through your passion for running…and it sure helps that you are really, really, fast, too! :) You have shown me what hopes and dreams are all about. It’s been great to follow you even after all these years.
Best of Luck,
August 29th, 2008 at 1:01 amSuz
The buzz in Nashville is growing into a steady roar! A day doesn’t go by now that I am not asked about the “rumor” of an Elite Runner running in our Inaugural Race! It is truly going to be an event to remember and we’re honored to have “Team Rankin” as a part of this unique race!
Kirk
September 5th, 2008 at 4:39 pmRace Director for the 2008 Inaugural Soles4Souls 10K/5K Race
www.Soles4Souls.org