Run for Hope: Derek's Race




He ran his first marathon April 6, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri, and it was a 26.3-mile journey and the most physically challenging 5 hours and 41 minutes of his life.

“By the time that I was able to finish, I could pick out my family because they were the only ones left,” he says.

Because it is such a grueling race, many would ask, why did Derek want to run a marathon?

“When I was a senior [in college] I made a list of things that I wanted to do before I died,” Derek says. “The first thing on the list was to run a marathon. When I told my wife Holly about this, she asked why I would do such a thing for no reason. I realized that she was right.”

Derek re-examined his goal and tried to come up with deeper purpose for running a marathon. “Soon after that, I saw an article about Kendra Graham and the My Hope Project,” Derek says. “My Hope is designed to share the love and message of Jesus Christ with those who may not ever receive it otherwise.”

With its goal of broadcasting the Gospel throughout every country of the world, My Hope creates specific TV programs for each culture. The project starts at the local level, where pastors and members of churches begin to pray for and share their faith with friends, neighbors, or relatives who do not know Jesus Christ.

Then they invite non-believing guests into their homes to view the My Hope broadcasts. Guests receive an opportunity to respond, to commit their lives to Jesus Christ, and to become a part of a local church.

In its seventh year, My Hope has been implemented in more than 25 countries, and nearly 9 million people have made a decision for Christ as a result. In the process, more than 3 million Christians have been encouraged and trained.

Because My Hope shares eternal hope with millions of people, Derek realized that he had found a good reason for running. He decided to raise funds and awareness for My Hope while he trained for the marathon, and he created a fundraising page through billygraham.org.

Through friends, family, professors, pastors, and reading the Bible, Derek has learned that God loves him and desires to be in a relationship with him. “I have been becoming a Christian most of my life,” Derek says. “I choose this word ‘becoming’ for a good reason.

… I became a Christian October 20th, 1996, and I did so mostly because I was afraid that I was going to hell if I did not. I was 12 and very impressionable. Since then I have been growing in my faith and come to realize that a relationship with God is about sharing in His love, not avoiding His punishment.”

Sometimes, growing in faith is like an difficult endurance race. But Derek says, “I know that I am not alone.”

The Bible says, “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith … so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:1-3, NIV).


Derek ran the St. Louis Marathon with his eyes fixed on the Good News of Jesus Christ. He also raised $1,000 for My Hope. “God blessed my run and allowed me to finish and raise some money for a great cause,” he says.

And Derek continues to run the journey of faith with perseverance.