AMBER OSNER
Central Christian School
CASSODAY, Kan. — On Saturday, October 12, 2024, John Walker was up before the sun. Having just flown in from a training event in Arizona, he slept in his car awaiting the start of a new challenge. He laced up his shoes, filled his water bottles, and his crew was ready to embark on a new adventure together. John was preparing to run the Heartland 100 race. The Heartland 100 is a foot race that is 100 miles long.
John is a father of four who wants to show his children that anything is possible. John’s own grandfather made it a tradition to ride his bike 100 miles each year on his birthday.
His final annual ride was on his 89th birthday. “He was an inspiration to me. I want to be an inspiration to other people – as much as I can be. I’m not special. Anyone can do hard things,” Walker states.
Dr. John Walker is the Superintendent of Central Christian School. He has a heart for low and middle income families who would like more access to private education, and has spent many hours conversing with congressmen at the national level and statesmen at the state level to assist more families who desire a private school education. With that desire, he chose to raise money for tuition assistance by running a 100-mile foot race. “The Lord was so kind to allow me to do this race and raise funds and awareness for tuition assistance at Central Christian School.”
John spent four months preparing for the Heartland 100. His training was physical, mental, and spiritual. The longest consecutive distance John had run before the Heartland 100 was 54 miles! He did have doubts about his ability to finish 100 miles, but, as with most anything, a good support system is vital. Once a week for four months he would have a long run of 27-32 miles. The next day he would run another 10-12 miles on tired legs to get his body acclimated to running tired.
On race day there were four races of varying lengths happening at the same time in Cassoday, KS. Walker chose to wear a shirt that says, “Jesus is King.” He explains his reasoning, saying, “I thought this would be a fun way to share with other people who I am, first of all, but second of all to see if there were opportunities for questions and discussion. I got lots of comments on the shirt. One guy I was talking to was an atheist and we had some cool conversations about that.”
John ran his race in 28 hours and saw the sunrise… twice. “One of the coolest moments was the last five miles of the race when my body stopped fighting me and it actually felt good to run at a faster pace. We were able to finish those last miles strong. I didn’t expect to be so emotional crossing the finish line. There were so many times I could have twisted my ankle. There were lots of people who dropped out of the race. I believe there were nearly 40 people who were signed up to do the 100 mile and only 21 finished. The Lord was so kind to provide friends for me to help me finish this race, a loving wife, and all of the things I needed to finish the race.”
John says he could not have completed his race without his crew. He had three pacers starting at mile 42 who took turns running about 20 miles each. Many of those miles were run in the dead of night. “I was thinking how much of a blessing that was through the entire race, how they were looking out for my well-being that I was nourished, but also to make sure that my foot would not stumble.” Dr. John Walker spoke to the secondary students at Central Christian School and said, “It’s so important who you surround yourself with. It’s so important that you surround yourself with friends who look out for not only where you are, but where you’re going so you don’t stumble and fall in the darkness of night.”
The motivation for the race was to raise funds for Central Christian’s tuition assistance program so more families can be a part of the school. To date, the race raised more than $18,000. “I am humbled by how much the Lord has provided for tuition assistance.” Walker says.
Due to some varying factors, Walker totaled 101.5 miles. Those who know John aren’t surprised as he typically goes above and beyond what anyone asks of him. When asked to recap the event, John Walker recounts, “So many lessons learned, honestly. I could talk for hours. But mostly, glad I finished, glad the Lord provided, and glad for the opportunities to learn lessons from Jesus along the way.”
If you are interested in giving to support students in this way, you can submit your pledge by mail, in person, or online by visiting https://www.cougarsccs.com/support-ccs/.
Please note that it is for the Heartland 100.