Jim Ryun, “Master of the Mile,” Prayed Nightly
Updated: Sep 23
How does a kid in school who can't make any sports team end up being one of the most celebrated athletes in the world? A three time Olympian, and first high schooler to break the four minute mile (3:59), is here to share his unlikely life journey, that started with a nightly prayer. You'll hear how "playing church" as a youngster changed forever when he became a "real Christian".
In this episode, Jim Ryun shares the inspiring details of his AMAZING story and his walk with Jesus. You'll hear about the ups and downs, the life lessons and the athletic triumphs that the whole world was buzzing about in the 60's and 70s that landed him on the cover of Sports Illustrated multiple times as he became know as the "Master of the Mile". With the guidance of his long time coach Bob Timmons and the encouragement and undying support of of wife Anne he made running history and much more.
Later he served 5 terms in the US congress, representing the 2nd district of his home state of Kansas and in 2020 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor.
His legacy lives on through the hundreds of young runners who have participated in the "Jim Ryun Running camps" that started in 1974 and continue each summer to this day.
If you are interested in more information about the revolutionary LYRIC "digital" hearing aid that changed his life check it out here:
If you'd like to order a signed copy of his book "Courage to Run" there are some copies still available by writing to him at:
Jim Ryun
PO Box 15312
Washington DC 20003
(Please include a check for the book and shipping with your request)
Check the Amazing Greats Website Video Resource page to see a classic recap of his story.
JIM RYUN AT A GLANCE
Olympic runner, world-record holder, U.S. Congressman, author and Christian mentor
Topics
Running · Olympics · faith · prayer · purpose · Christian conversion · forgiveness · Congress · leadership · mentoring · youth · running camps
His Faith Journey
Childhood prayer for God's plan → athletic setbacks → Olympic success → Christian conversion in 1972 → faith reshapes his view of success → 10 years in Congress → mentoring young runners through faith and sport
This Episode Explores
Jim Ryun's childhood prayer for God's plan
Going from not making school teams to Olympic competition
Breaking the four-minute mile in high school
Three Olympic Games and the Munich fall
Learning forgiveness after Olympic disappointment
Jim and Anne Ryun's conversion to Christianity
Moving from running into public service
The Jim Ryun Running Camps
Faith, purpose and goal-setting for young athletes
Hearing loss and the impact of hearing technology
Using God-given talents to serve others
Questions Answered
Who is Jim Ryun?
How did Jim Ryun become a world-class runner?
How did Jim Ryun become a Christian?
What happened when Jim Ryun fell at the 1972 Olympics?
How did Jim Ryun learn forgiveness?
Why did Jim Ryun run for Congress?
What are the Jim Ryun Running Camps?
How does Jim Ryun combine faith and athletics?
What does Jim Ryun teach young runners about purpose?
What Scripture is especially meaningful to Jim Ryun?
Core Story
Jim Ryun tells the story of going from a boy who couldn't make his school sports teams to an Olympic runner and world-record holder. His journey was shaped by prayer, perseverance, coaching and a growing sense that God had a purpose for his life. After becoming a Christian in 1972, Ryun began viewing success differently—not as something that earned love or defined his worth, but as an opportunity to serve others. That perspective eventually carried him from elite running into Congress and into decades of mentoring young athletes through the Jim Ryun Running Camps.
Podcast Transcript: Jim Ryun on Running, Faith, Purpose & a Life of Service
Amazing Greats with Ric Hansen
From Not Making the Team to the Olympics
Ric Hansen:Well, hi there. This is Ric Hansen with another powerful life story on Amazing Greats.
This time around, I get a chance to talk with a guy who couldn't make a sports team at school, but then became one of the fastest runners in the world.
And it all started with a prayer.
We'll hear about that and the rest of this man's amazing journey in running, in politics and in faith.
This is Episode Number 22. I hope you enjoy the story of world-class runner, Olympian and U.S. Congressman Jim Ryun as much as I did.
I might just say that we had a bit of a technical faux pas here at the beginning, and it took me a while to get my side figured out. But we're here, and we're live, and this is going to be great.
Thank you so much for your time.
I think I'd like to start with a little prayer that you said when you were a youngster, when you were just a kid in school. The prayer goes like this:
"Dear God, if you have a plan for my life, I'd really appreciate it if you'd show up and tell me what that is. And, oh, by the way, I'd also appreciate it if it was something in sports, because that's where I'd like to have my future."
Jim Ryun:Ric, that's a prayer that I prayed many times.
I went to church as a little boy, and I remember the pastor talking about prayer and how God answers prayers.
When you've been cut from the church baseball team, the junior high basketball team, and you really can't seem to make the junior high track and field team, that was a prayer I prayed most evenings.
I know God heard me. I probably wore Him out.
But it was very sincere because I was like many young people—and we have them coming to our Jim Ryun Running Camp. They're in search of a plan that God has for their life. They're searching for answers, and that's where I was.
I went through my ninth grade without making an athletic team.
Then, when I went to high school, there were altogether new opportunities, beginning with high school cross-country.
Ric Hansen:You wanted basketball or baseball. That was your original plan, but God had a different plan, and that turned out to be track and field.
For those who want to know, you are a three-time Olympian, five-time world-record holder, seven-time Sports Illustrated cover subject, five-term U.S. Congressman, and one of your records lasted 36 years.
Running became your deal.
Jim Ryun:It did.
But none of my family was athletic, so running wasn't even on the radar screen.
When I went into high school as a sophomore, we had a large high school—3,300 students. It was a three-year school, and we had to have split assemblies.
I went to the assembly and listened to a guy talk about cross-country. I thought, "Well, I haven't tried that. Let's give that a try."
The Pain of Learning to Run
Ric Hansen:And obviously you took to that. You had a talent for it. God had a plan for that, and you were extremely successful.
Jim Ryun:The thing to bear in mind as you tell the story is that there was a lot of pain involved in the very beginning.
When you've never run before and you move into a program that's one of the best in the state of Kansas and one of the better ones throughout the country, you're going from zero miles to 60 miles a week as a sophomore.
I had all the things that runners don't like to have. I had shin splints. I was sore.
My second day of running in high school, I was so sore.
In fact, I went home that night after my first practice. Just getting up to the park where we ran was a miracle. It was a mile up there, and I'd never run further than a quarter of a mile.
All of a sudden, I ran four times farther.
Then we did some wind sprints and stretches, and I found out that's what a warm-up is. I'd never done a warm-up before, even in junior high.
We ran around hills and around trees for the next hour or so and then back down to the school.
I took a shower and went home. I was so tired that night. Mom had dinner for me.
I said, "Mom, I can't eat. I've got to go to bed. I'm so tired."
The next morning, I shared a downstairs bedroom with my brother. I rolled over out of bed and began walking.
I thought, "Oh my gosh, where did those sore muscles come from?"
I walked up the stairs backward and made a proclamation to my mom:
"Mom, I'm not doing this cross-country stuff anymore."
By the grace of God, when I went to school, my classmates, at different times on different floors—it was three flights of stairs—said, "You are coming off of the team again, aren't you?"
My first response was no.
By the time I got to sixth period, I was back on the cross-country team.
It was one of the very best decisions God ever gave me.
Discovering a Gift
Ric Hansen:At what point did you realize you really had a gift? Not just that you made the team, but that you were a star?
Jim Ryun:It was actually a long time because, quite honestly, with all of those early failures, I was searching for some success.
That success came in making the C team. That's the 21st man on the team.
Then I moved up to the B team.
To my shock and amazement, at the end of the season I finished sixth in the state meet and was our number-one person.
I got a letter jacket.
I thought, "Well, this is cool. I'll probably get a girlfriend."
I didn't.
But it was just part of the preparation for the future.
Even then, I was pleased and surprised, but I didn't realize what was inside.
God had even larger plans for me.
Breaking Four Minutes in High School
Ric Hansen:In fact, at that point in high school, you became the youngest high schooler to make the Olympic track and field team in Tokyo, right?
Jim Ryun:1964.
Since we're going to talk about mining a little bit, my first timed mile was 5:38.
So it wasn't like there was this door of opportunity and here comes this great kid who's going to be a fantastic miler. Nothing like that.
Ric Hansen:But then you did, in fact, break the four-minute mark in high school.
Jim Ryun:Yes, I did.
It was in Compton, California, on June 4, 1964.
It was a race with much older runners. They were all in college or had graduated from college, and here's this 17-year-old junior in high school running in the race, hanging on, hoping to run under four minutes.
That week, Coach Timmons and I had established a goal of 3:59.0.
It's one of the very few times in my whole life I've ever hit the goal exactly—3:59.0.
At that point, I became the first high school boy to run under four minutes.
That started a transformation.
That night I went home and really couldn't sleep because I thought, "This is pretty special," more so than what I could actually imagine.
I realized that most of this was Coach Timmons' goal.
While I had adopted it, it was still his.
My thoughts were, "What happens if I start giving at least 100%, maybe 105%, in training? What would happen?"
That opened another door.
Eventually, the next year, I became the youngest Olympian on the 1964 track and field team for the Tokyo Olympics.
Three Olympics: Tokyo, Mexico City and Munich
Ric Hansen:You're listening to the incredible life journey of runner, Congressman and author Jim Ryun.
You went on to a second Olympics in Mexico City, and that had its own challenges because of the high altitude, right?
Jim Ryun:It did.
You can do all you want to at sea level to try and prepare for altitude, but we know now as a result of scientific research that you either had to be born at altitude or have lived there for roughly 25 years.
It gave the altitude-trained athlete an enormous advantage.
I was honored to win a silver medal, coming back to this country. To me, it's still one of the greatest honors I've received—a silver medal at the distance of 1,500 meters.
Ric Hansen:And then off to Munich.
There were its own challenges. You were trained, you were there, you were ready to go, but something happened. Tell us that.
Jim Ryun:About 500 yards to go in the race, I was bumped by another runner.
The runner behind me caught my trail leg. He tripped me.
I fell. He went down with me, and we're on the track trying to get back up.
I didn't realize how long I was down.
That tripping was actually a blessing.
I would have loved to have gone on and won a gold medal and represented America—the first American since 1908.
But it was an opportunity to learn a life lesson: When things don't go your way, how do you respond?
Fortunately for me, my wife Anne and I had become Christians in May of 1972.
That gave me the strength to endure the endless questions about the fall.
In fact, during my other two previous Olympics, I had a hearing loss.
I lost about half of my hearing at the age of five after a very high fever from measles.
Answering reporters' questions was always a great challenge because I didn't always hear everything.
So what I would do was listen for a key word and respond.
At Munich, I was trying to hear a key word that I could give a good response.
But it wasn't until I turned 40 that I was finally fitted with Lyric hearing aids.
It made such a difference in my life—my ability to hear and my response to reporters.
Let me share this quickly.
The first time I put Lyric in my ears, I was out in the yard mowing the grass and I heard something.
I thought, "That sounds like geese. I wonder if there are geese."
And there were geese flying over our home in the country in Kansas.
I'd never heard that sound before.
So Munich was a very trying time, but I learned the process of forgiveness, and for that I'm very grateful.
Forgiveness After the Munich Fall
Ric Hansen:And you describe Howard Cosell as a friend. He tried to play a role in claiming that there was a foul on you and getting you re-entered into the competition.
Jim Ryun:That made this a very difficult experience because there was footage showing that I was fouled.
But there had never been a reinstatement at the Olympic Games in the opening round or even the second round.
The German officials met with us—Coach Timmons, myself and my wife—a few hours before the next round, which would have been the semifinals in the 1,500 meters.
They said, "We're really sorry about what happened. The tripping was unfortunate, the fall was unfortunate. But why don't you come back in four years and try again?"
My response, I have to tell you, was not the Christian thing.
What I wanted to do was reach out and grab him. He had a tie, and I wanted to beat on him a little bit.
All I could think of was 100, 110 miles a week through all those four years, in any kind of weather.
But by the grace of God, I didn't.
That lesson became invaluable for the years to come.
If you go to the next Olympics, 1976, if my memory is correct, if somebody fell in the opening round or even the second round, they would advance them if there was someone in a situation such as mine.
So they started changing the rules.
But in 1972, the response was, "Why don't you come back in four years?"
Becoming a Christian
Ric Hansen:Amazing Greats is a podcast about the Christian journey.
From what I can gather, you had a Christian background, but as you said, you didn't really become a Christian until May 18, 1972, right?
Jim Ryun:Correct.
I had played church. I had gone to church every Sunday morning, every Sunday night, every Wednesday night.
But I lived my life as I wanted to on any of the other days.
In the spring of 1972, an older couple, Bernie and Clara Taylor, began sharing with us what it was to have a relationship with Jesus Christ and to be a real Christian—not just Sunday morning, Sunday evening and Wednesday night, but rather all the time.
They taught us to try to live a life that was less about serving yourself and more about serving others.
In fact, when I ran for Congress for the first time in 1996, I remember one of the reporters came up to me.
At that point, I still didn't have my Lyric hearing aids, so I heard some of the questions.
What I heard was that she said, "You know, politics and religion don't really mix. How are you going to handle that in Congress?"
I had been signing autographs and would write "God" above the person's name, "Jim Ryun," and then "John 3:3-8."
She said, "How are you going to make that work?"
I said, "It's real simple. If I hadn't become a Christian, I would think the world would revolve around me. But as a Christian, I want to serve people, and I want to serve in the Second District of Kansas and help people."
That's the transformation in my life.
A New Calling: Congress
Ric Hansen:That was the aha moment.
And that takes us into the next phase after running. Then what?
You found a new calling.
Jim Ryun:I did.
I'd helped other people run for office. We'd gone door to door and done a few things before.
But in 1996, I was given the great honor of helping carry the Olympic torch across Kansas on its way to Atlanta for the Atlanta Olympics.
As it went through Wichita, the Congressman and his chief of staff, Matt Schlapp and Congressman Todd Tiahrt, said, "You should run for office. The seat in the Second District is opening up."
That night, as my wife Anne and I drove home, I turned to her and said, "What would you think about running for Congress?"
She almost fell off the door of the car because that had been a dream of hers for a long time.
I was reluctant because I knew it would change our lives.
That's not necessarily bad, but I wanted to make sure it was the right move.
We got home and mentioned it to our four children.
I had four sets of footprints in my back: "Dad, it's your turn. You need to do this."
So I went away and prayed for a couple of days and came back, and they said, "Let's do it."
I felt like the Lord gave me encouragement.
In 1996, in June, we filed to run for the Second District of Kansas.
The primary was actually pretty simple.
The general was not.
We encountered a tremendous amount of headwind, a lot of money and a lot of lies.
But at the end of it, on that first Tuesday in November, by the grace of God, I became the Congressman for the Second District of Kansas.
It was a great honor to serve for 10 years.
Anne Ryun and Partnership
Ric Hansen:This is the amazing story of Jim Ryun, world-record holder, Olympian and U.S. Congressman from Kansas. Five terms, 10 years.
One of the themes through our talk today and in the research I've done is the importance and relevance of Anne in your partnership.
Tell us about your wife, Anne. She seems like she is absolutely a charming lady, and I wish I had a chance to meet her.
Tell us about her role in your career.
Jim Ryun:She is a charming lady, by the way.
Before I started wearing Lyric, she served as my hearing aid.
Our children would say something, or somebody else would have a question, and I didn't hear it. She had to repeat it.
At the age of 40, when I started wearing Lyric, she gave up that role—not reluctantly, because she knew I needed to hear. I'm grateful for that.
She's been a great wife, a great mother, now a grandmother, and a grandmother to our foster son.
She's the woman who brings inspiration and joy into my life.
We became Christians at the same time.
I can't say enough good about her.
When you run for public office, it really takes both a husband and wife in a strong marriage because they will attack you in every way possible.
She endured all the things that were said that were lies and false.
On the other side, we're happier.
Her character was strengthened because we both knew that the only way we were going to survive all of this was through true dependency upon Jesus Christ.
That's what really helped us through those 10 years of service in Congress.
A Highlight of His Congressional Service
Ric Hansen:What is there one highlight of your career as a public servant to Kansas that you feel was most important to you as a Congressman?
Jim Ryun:For me, because I'm pro-life, one of the highlights was that, as a member of the Armed Services Committee, I had the privilege every two years of defending not allowing abortions to come into military hospitals.
That was always a challenge.
We won that debate and kept that out of the Armed Services legislation that went to the larger floor for a vote.
To me, that was always a privilege—keeping abortions out of military hospitals overseas.
The doctors in the military are there to help service our men and women who are injured or need care, not to perform abortions.
For me, it was a privilege, and I still count that as one of my greatest honors.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom
Ric Hansen:Your time in Congress was highlighted by a presidential award. Was that for your time in politics, your running, or a little bit of both?
You were given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, right?
Jim Ryun:I would say President Trump made the award based upon his experience watching me run as a young boy and then my career and what happened in my political life.
It was a great honor.
We had the ceremony at the White House. The family was there.
We spoke for a few minutes with the President just before the ceremony.
We're getting ready to go into the ceremony, and President Trump turns to our daughter Catherine and our son Ned.
He didn't say, "Would you maybe say something about your dad?"
He said, "I want you to say something about your dad."
They had less than five minutes.
If you go back to the actual taping of it, I think Fox News has it. You'll hear these candid but very solid and complimentary remarks, for which I'm very grateful.
It was a wonderful ceremony and a wonderful service.
But again, the reason that happened is because I had so many people along the way helping.
My wife Anne was one of the most critical ones because she never gave up on me, even in those moments when running didn't go well or when we didn't have a very good campaign event.
She was always there helping and doing what she could.
I mentioned Bernie and Clara Taylor. They couldn't be there because they had already gone to be with the Lord.
So many different people contributed.
When you think of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, it's given most of the time, as our daughter Catherine said, "Dad, you're getting this while you're alive. Most people get it posthumously."
To be able at that moment to acknowledge that there were so many other people who contributed was meaningful.
By the grace of God, I received the award, and I'm very honored for that.
The Jim Ryun Running Camps
Ric Hansen:Let's backtrack a bit.
Prior to all of this, you started a running camp. When did that start?
Jim Ryun:We started the running camps in 1974.
We actually had a year or two before that with an organization, so we learned the mechanics, if you will.
We started with the intent that running is a part of life, and we're grateful for that.
But these runners need to recognize that there's more to life than just running.
We wanted to bring the spiritual aspect into it—that God has a plan for your life.
It may be running. You may find out years later that it wasn't running.
But the characteristics you learn from running carry over into other parts of your life.
That's when we began the Jim Ryun Running Camps.
We've had them since 1974.
It's been a privilege to work with thousands of young people around the country, and we still do them.
You can go to our running website, RyanRunning.com, and look at some of the different campsites, venues and lectures and get a chance to see a little bit about what happens.
Last year, we had our camp at YMCA of the Rockies, and we ended up having to turn people away because we had such a response—120 campers.
We usually limit it to 100 because we want that personal contact.
It got a little larger than we wanted, but it was nevertheless a great camp.
Who Comes to Running Camp?
Ric Hansen:What are the qualifications to get into the camp?
Jim Ryun:Be a runner above 12 years of age.
We have all different ages coming to camp.
Usually they're high school students between 13 and 17, although we have some who are older.
I know we had a runner who came in from Pittsburgh who had watched me run at the New York AC games in New York City on the old board tracks.
The next morning, he went out and bought a pair of running shoes and decided to become a runner.
He was in his 50s, and he came to camp because he wanted to be around young runners and learn about running as much as he possibly could.
So there's a variety of ages.
If they're interested, they need to sign up early because we close registration at 100.
Faith at the Running Camp
Ric Hansen:There are a lot of parents who may be non-believers but want their kid to go to running camp because they think it's a good thing.
Have you ever had pushback from people saying, "I don't want you integrating Christianity into the camp"?
Jim Ryun:That's a decision they can make before coming.
Kind of a funny story: We had one parent who called after the first day and said, "It seems like you're always having Bible study."
We have one chapel that lasts about 30 minutes in the morning.
At the end of three days, she called back and said, "This is the greatest experience my son has ever had."
He's been coming to camp for the last three years.
So, really, not negatives but positives, because people start realizing what we're doing is investing in their children by giving them character qualities.
Christian qualities are going to last throughout their lifetime.
It's not just from running. It may carry over.
Maybe they're going to be a doctor. Maybe they're going to be a minister. Who knows what they're going to be?
But those qualities of learning to set goals, train hard, understand that sleep is an important part of life and making sure you have a good diet—all of those things will follow you throughout your life.
Running Today and the Gift of Hearing
Ric Hansen:I've got to ask: Do you run today?
Jim Ryun:I do. I still run.
I still wear Lyric hearing aids when I run.
Before Lyric, I couldn't hear the cars coming.
When I was biking, I was aware of my surroundings, but I couldn't hear cars coming or things that might be dangerous.
Now, as I run and walk, my surroundings are so much safer.
I'm just so grateful.
That's why I keep saying, you can go to Try Lyric if you've got any kind of hearing loss. Usually your wife or somebody close to you will remind you of that.
I wouldn't call what I do running, Ric. It's so slow. It's more of a shuffle.
But I'm still out there, and I really enjoy it.
Ric Hansen:While we're talking about Lyric, let's briefly mention it.
It's an insert, so it's not even visible. It's inserted in your ear and is waterproof.
Jim Ryun:You can shower in it. You can do everything except swim in it.
That's one of the advantages. It's invisible.
Sometimes people who think about hearing aids feel that it gives them a stigma if somebody sees them wearing one.
This one's invisible, and the quality of hearing is digital. It's amazing.
It allows you to hear things like the geese.
I remember when it was first fitted, I opened a pop can. You get the fizz when you open the top.
I'd never heard those sounds before.
For me, it's been an enormous difference.
I can hear my grandchildren now, our little foster son.
My wife doesn't have to be my hearing aid anymore.
It adds to the quality of life that I so much wanted when I was growing up.
When I was in 1964, I know I missed half of what was going on because I had lost half of my hearing.
In 2020, I almost went to the Tokyo Olympics.
I would have loved to have gone back and heard the sights and sounds of Tokyo that I missed when I was there in 1964.
It's been an enormous positive thing in my life.
The Moment God Changed Everything
Ric Hansen:Is there a moment in your life that really stands out as a place where God showed up, where Jesus was present and it was very clear that you were getting divine intervention?
Jim Ryun:It was May 18, 1972.
That was when Anne and I knelt and prayed and asked Jesus Christ to come into our lives.
For me, it was transformational.
My life at that point had been measured in tenths of a second.
When I ran well, people loved me.
When I didn't run well, I got postcards that were unsigned: "Quitter. You should never have run," and different things that were cruel.
But on that night, I realized that Jesus basically spoke to me and said:
"You don't have to earn My love. I give it to you freely."
That was a huge change in my thinking because I'd always tried to earn God's love.
In reality, He wants to give it to you freely.
For me, that was a moment that began changing everything I did from that point on.
When the Prayer Isn't Answered the Way You Expect
Ric Hansen:How about the flip side? A prayer that went unanswered, something that may have been a challenge to face?
Jim Ryun:I would have loved to have won a gold medal.
I didn't.
But from that I learned many valuable experiences that would be for a lifetime, and I'm grateful.
You start realizing that in life, not everything is going to go your way.
Going back to that interview with the reporter questioning whether politics and religion can mix, I made the point that if I hadn't become a Christian, I would still think the world revolved around me.
That's often taught to athletes—that you are the center of the universe.
Once I realized that wasn't true and that I could serve other people, it began changing me and finding ways that I could help others.
It allowed me to see the bigger picture instead of letting everything revolve around me.
I sleep better at night. I feel more fulfilled with my family.
Every summer we get to work with all these wonderful campers—the entire family, my wife Anne, daughter Catherine, son Ned—and we have a staff that's been with us as many as 20 years.
They come with the intention of helping these young runners understand more about who they are as runners and in their lives, and maybe the plan that God has for them.
The talent levels can be anywhere from making their high school teams to going on to the Olympics.
We have a tremendous variety.
But we teach principles that are universal and allow them to become better runners over a period of time.
Taking Risks and Reaching Beyond Your Comfort Zone
Ric Hansen:I ran across a video of you. It's all black and white—the original, when you were just a young Jim Ryun.
You're a huge deal. You were big.
And you're so humble now. I don't get it.
Jim Ryun:It's because God gave it all to me.
I would never have imagined as a young boy, being cut from the church baseball team and the junior high basketball team, that my life would ever be what it is now.
I'm grateful.
But I want others to understand too that one of the things we teach at camp, and I teach this in particular, is goal setting.
Don't be afraid to let your reach exceed what you can comfortably grasp.
In other words, get out of your comfort zone.
Everybody has to take a risk at some point.
Whatever talents and dreams God has given you doesn't mean you're going to be successful, but it may mean you will be.
Most of all, it means you're going to find out there's a life out there that's an adventure.
We try to emphasize that at camp.
It's an adventure.
Don't be afraid of it.
There's going to be failure, sure, but that's a risk we all take.
That's the joy of it all.
Life After Congress
Ric Hansen:What's Jim Ryun doing these days, other than the camps?
Are you relaxing a little bit now?
Jim Ryun:I am now.
One of the other things I do with our son Ned is put together a program called the Madison Project.
We help constitutional conservatives run for federal office in the House and Senate.
That, along with what we do at camp, keeping up with the campers and grandchildren—we have 14—keeps me very occupied.
Ric Hansen:Did you recruit all of your family to be runners as well?
Jim Ryun:Whatever talents God has given them.
We have one of our grandsons who just finished playing a football game and made three touchdowns.
He's not a runner. He wants to play football.
We'll do what we can to encourage him.
That's really part of our goal in life—to help them realize the God-given talents God has given them and use them to His glory.
A Scripture Verse: John 3:3-8
Ric Hansen:How about a Scripture verse that's meaningful to you?
Jim Ryun:The one I sign when I sign autographs is John 3:3-8.
That's the moment when Nicodemus goes to see Jesus at night and basically asks Him what he must do to be born again.
That's the whole description of it.
That's why I write those verses.
It's the opportunity to realize that you really need to be transformed by the Holy Spirit in your life and allow your life to be surrendered to the purposes that God has.
It's basically talking about being born again.
It's also interesting because Nicodemus was part of the Pharisees, part of that council that was, for the most part, condemning Jesus.
But he went at night, probably so he wouldn't be discovered, and Jesus very candidly spoke to him about what he needed to do to be born again.
For me, that's always been a Scripture I like to give people because it is a moment when we start realizing there's more to life than just going to church.
Books and the Running Camps
Ric Hansen:You've written multiple books.
Three specifically that I wanted to touch on: the most recent was The Courage to Run: Inspiration for Winning the Race of Your Life.
Prior to that, you did Heroes Among Us: Deep Within Each of Us Dwells the Heart of a Hero.
And then The Quest of Gold.
Jim Ryun:The Quest of Gold goes way back.
If someone is interested in The Courage to Run, they can write to P.O. Box 15312, Washington, D.C. 20003.
I still have that one available.
If people are interested, they can write, and there's a purchase and a little bit of shipping. I'm happy to sign it.
The other two are out of print right now. I don't know where they are. They're out there floating around somewhere.
Ric Hansen:I think I saw them on Amazon through used bookstores. There are a few out there if you really do some looking.
How to Support the Jim Ryun Running Camps
Ric Hansen:What else? How else can our audience support Jim Ryun today?
Jim Ryun:You can be praying for all the young people who come to camp.
They come from a variety of lives.
This summer, one of our staff put together a little summary. We had 25 different states represented.
We're pretty even—about 60 boys and 60 girls.
Our prayer for your listeners would be to pray for them and for our staff.
Our staff works with them not only at camp but keeps up with them during the off-season to encourage them.
Young runners and young people in general are faced with challenges that you and I would never have grown up with.
My life was pretty simple growing up in Wichita, Kansas.
As I look at what a lot of these young people are going through now, they're faced with things they shouldn't have to face, and so much is out there that's destructive to their character and their lives.
So that would be my prayer right now.
Coach Timmons
Ric Hansen:This has been absolutely a joy.
I've been looking forward to talking with you, and as I did more and more research on you and found more about your story, it's just—well, the title of our podcast is appropriate.
You're an amazing, great guy, and I appreciate your time today.
Jim Ryun:You're welcome, Ric.
If I have 30 seconds, I want to mention Coach Timmons, who was my inspiration.
He took this young, skinny kid as a sophomore and molded me into much more than I ever thought I could be.
He became a Christian late in life, and I'm so grateful he did.
He's one of those people in my life who was such an inspiration and such a pivotal part of what was going to take place in the years to come.
He and his wife, Pat—Bob and Pat Timmons—gave us so much of their lives along the way.
They were not only inspirational, but they gave us discipline and direction and wonderful stories to live with.
Ric Hansen:Say hi to your wife, Anne, for me. I've enjoyed hearing about her.
Maybe next time I'll pull her in here.
Thank you so much. God bless you.
Jim Ryun:God bless you too. Take care. Bye-bye.
Ric Hansen:Thanks for taking the time to learn the amazing story of Jim Ryun.
What an awesome guy—so humble and such a gentle soul.
If you know someone who would be lifted up by this awesome success story, please share it with them.
If you found something that struck you, hit like.
Check out the show notes for additional information on Jim Ryun's running camp, his books, and the scoop on that hearing aid that changed his life.
And as always, thank you for listening.
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