Chris and Amy Compston, seen running in the 2013 Nashville Ultra Marathon, will compete together in 13 marathons in 2014.
Together they will cover nearly 344 competitive miles
ASHLAND, Ky. — Even Amy for Africa knows that, sometimes, it just takes two.
Chris Compston will join his wife Amy on a marathon summer and fall in 2014. The husband-wife duo will be running marathons in April, May, June, July, August September and October while proclaiming the Good News along the way.
Last year, Amy competed in the Boston Marathon – finishing in a personal best time – and a few days later she committed to run in the Ultra Marathon 50-mile race in Nashville, Tenn. She trained for more than 1,200 miles and then finished the ultra-marathon in 7 hours and 36 minutes, nearly ninety minutes faster than her goal.
During the last leg of that ultra marathon her husband Chris joined her and helped keep his wife’s pace at a steady 9 minutes per mile. He started running with her at the 36-mile marker and finished the last 14 miles.
Amy’s time in the 50-mile race was stunning and good enough for second place among female finishers and seventh overall out of 105 runners.
So how about an encore?
In 2014, the Amy for Africa couple will be running a combined 13 marathons and a 5K in such destinations as Boston, Michigan, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Illinois.
Together they will cover almost 344 competitive miles in the 14 races. It starts with the Boston Marathon where Amy has already qualified and been accepted. Chris will be running the 5K the day before the marathon.
But over the next six months they will each be running a marathon a month.
The goal, besides running, will be for Chris, Amy, their families and other Amy for Africa team members to pass out 1,000 Christian tracts per venue. That means by the time the last marathon is finished in October, they will have handed out more than 7,000 tracts.
“I know it sounds crazy but it’s the same kind of crazy I felt when I signed up for the 50 (mile run),” Amy said. “It’s crazy but such a challenge.”
She’s also honored to have her husband share the competitive part of the Amy for Africa ministry that last year raised $45,000 in six months for missions in Moyo, Uganda.
Chris, who was a competitive college track athlete, has completed one marathon in his amateur career.
Amy completed her third marathon with last year’s Boston Marathon and she also, of course, has a 50-mile ultra marathon to her credit.
Chris and Amy Compston, both nurses, overcame drug and alcohol addiction and both credit God’s grace for their recovery. For Amy, it was 14 years of alcohol and drug use.
Amy for Africa’s team is available to speak with civic groups, schools, youth groups or church congregations. Call Mark at (606) 571-1031 to schedule a date.
You can be involved by donating to Amy for Africa through the website or by mailing a check to 816 23rd Street, Ashland, Kentucky 41101. Any donation will be tax deductible.
Anyone wishing to have Amy speak to their church or organization can contact Mark Maynard via email here or by phone at (606) 571-1031.