Thin Spaces

Endurance #1

Dear Dad,

3 months ago while in Philadelphia I met an old friend for coffee. As we caught up I shared with him the 70.3 Ironman race that I was training for. In his sarcastic and light hearted tone, he quipped with a smile and head shake… “but…whhhyyy?”

Last week, I completed the race, 70.3 miles of swimming, biking, and running and finally confirmed the answer.

Have you ever heard of thin spaces? It’s a mystical concept—a place where the division between heaven and earth is felt to be “thin.” Religious and non-religious endurance athletes alike, often speak of the “spiritual” experience felt during long efforts. Heart beats and inhales meshing together to form an aerobic rhythm. Long hours spent in nature demanding your body to perform an uncertain task. The journey of growth over months of disciplined preparation, a persistent negotiation between mind and body, and the hope of triumph bound up in the contentment of accomplishment. Choosing the challenge. It’s a thin space. Fully alive. Fully aware. Fully flourishing.

In a world and culture stuffed with superficiality leaving many without any inclinations or motivations to discover the purpose of human existence, it’s no wonder that a sub culture of “endurance junkies” emerged—exploring the limits of their physical capabilities for a touch of heaven, like a lightening rod to the soul.

I felt the surge as I gazed over the lake before the cannon blast signaled the start of the swim. Not a force of power, but humility. Stripped from the comforts of modern living. No I-phone for help or distraction, or both. Just my my body and the completed training blocks. Gratitude bubbled then raged. Light rain fell as I dove into the water. In the next hours I would gasp for air, churn my legs, light matches and burn all the energy I had methodically stored away. Step by step. Fully ready. Fully painful. Fully grateful. A thin space. A touch of heaven.

Seek out thin spaces. Linger, listen, surrender—feel alive and bring heaven to earth.

With Love,

JSR