“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17, NIV).

Chloe Contarino knew her first marathon was going to be difficult. She just didn’t know it would be this painful.

In runner’s parlance, she hit the wall with about nine miles to go in the 26.2-mile race. Hit it hard.

“Up to mile 15, I felt great,” she said. “At mile 17, my knees started yelling. Mile 18, I was barely trotting and I could feel my pulse in my face. I walked/ran from miles 17-25, and it hurt bad. I had senior citizens passing me, but there gets a point where nothing matters at all anymore except getting to that finish line.”

As she persevered to the finish, struggling to put one foot in front of the other again and again, she remembered why she was doing this.

Chloe, 21, was running for Team Samaritan's Purse, individuals who compete in races and other athletic events to raise funds for Samaritan's Purse programs they care deeply about.

Chloe competed in the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach, Virginia, on March 20 to raise money for Hogar de Zion, an orphanage supported by Samaritan's Purse.

“It was the hardest experience of my life,” she said. “It took me over five hours to finish (5:13 to be exact), but I'm almost grateful I didn't finish ‘well.’ Then I think it would've become more about how well I did, and less how it was all for Jesus.”

She knew that God was with her, giving her the physical and mental strength to reach the finish line.

“He's the one who knew the pain, and the tears, and the struggles, and the resentment, and the victories better than anyone else,” she said. “He was with me through it all, and I am ever grateful.”

As the finishers’ medal was put around her neck, as she hugged her husband, Josiah, and as she grappled with the emotions of the day, Chloe remembered the orphans in Honduras. The pain became a little easier to endure when she thought about the money she has raised for Hogar de Zion.

“It was totally worth it,” she said. “I could never do something like this if it was just for me. It wouldn't be worth it to me to hurt this badly! But when it's for the glory of God—I can't wait to do it again!”

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