All Things in Christ

I usually don’t let myself look at my watch too much when I run a race; I keep my eyes on the trail in front of me. But on the day of the cross-country state championship, I found myself glancing down much more than usual, and finding strength every time I did. On my hand, next to my watch, I had written in Sharpie, “I can do hard things.” This simple statement helped me push through the hardest points of the race and cross the finish line first. Being the D1 state champion in cross country running this season was beyond my wildest dreams when I started training with the Chugiak team last year. My friends and our combined faith in Jesus Christ was an integral part of my training and success.

My family and I moved to Alaska in the summer of 2022. Before settling here, we lived all over the world while my dad served in the US Army. I have always been a swimmer, and usually the first thing I did when we moved to a new place was sign up for the closest swim team. When I moved here, however, some new friends from church encouraged me to join them on Chugiak’s cross country running team. While I had never really liked running before, after just one practice at Chugiak, I was hooked. It didn’t take long, however, for me to realize that even with new friends, fun practices, and pasta parties, running is really tough. From speed work on the track to muddy hill workouts on the trails, running pushed me in ways I never had been before. I would sometimes find myself alone in the forest having to use sheer force of will to keep running. I also learned that Alaska cross country is on a level of its own, with crazy weather and unforeseen animal encounters.

Despite these challenges, I gratefully found myself a home with my team. Though running is a very individual sport, with everyone trying to get a new personal record, I learned that it can also be a team-oriented sport. The score of the team relies on how everyone places. Even if I felt alone running in a race, I could find the familiar blue and black Chugiak jerseys running next to me. We were all doing something hard, but we were doing it together, which pushed us and bonded us. Beyond the team, the community that cross country provides is unique. From my first meet, I learned that all the teams cheer for each other, spectators encourage every runner, and everyone gathers near the finish line to cheer for every runner as they cross.

Runners are known for their rituals - eating the same foods, wearing the same socks and warming up in the same order to prepare themselves for their race. I had my own rituals, from always drinking an electrolyte drink in the morning to listening to the same playlist before each of my races. One of our team rituals was to pray together before each race. I felt comfort knowing that we all had the strength of the Lord on our sides. Though we all come from different faiths, and each of our prayers may have sounded a little different, we found peace in this uniting action, and those moments of circling up in prayer are some of my fondest memories from this season.

The Chugiak coaches have been so supportive of our goals and our faith. From training plans, to injury prevention, to traveling with our team out of state, our coaches are committed to our success. Their guidance and direction have been beneficial to me, as I am so new to running. One coach in particular also emphasized the importance of recognizing and remembering God’s hand in my success. She taught me to always put my full trust in Christ and His plan. I have not, and will never forget that advice in my running journey.

Each year, my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints releases a youth theme based on scripture. The 2023 theme is “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). We abridged that to “I can do hard things through Christ!” and would remind each other of the greater strength that we could lean on when running gets hard! Writing this short message on my hand on the day of the state championship race was a quiet but firm reminder to me that just like the scripture says, I can do hard things through Christ.

There is no better sport than cross country. Running on the beyond beautiful trails of Alaska makes it even better. And running with Chugiak is the best. I feel so honored to have helped my team win the state title this year. But beyond the success on the race course, I have learned that I can push myself to do hard things through the strength of the Lord.

Hannah Shaha is a sophomore at Chugiak High School. When she’s not running, she enjoys playing the piano, spending time with friends and playing games. She is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.