Karen Conn
By MARK MAYNARD / Amy For Africa
ASHLAND, Ky. — Karen Conn has been running for herself the past five years.
Now she’s running with something bigger in mind.
Conn has joined the Amy For Africa running team and will be competing in the Kanawha Trace 25K in Ona, West Virginia, on Aug. 8. It will be her first race beyond the half marathon distance.
“I’ve been running for about five years now,” she said. “I hated running in my youth but, at 27, I thought I’d give it another try, and I was hooked right away! All this time, the miles have just been for myself, so it’s about time I start running for something more meaningful.”
Karen had the opportunity to hear missionary/marathoner Amy Compston share her testimony during a recent Vacation Bible School visit to Rose Hill Baptist Church.
“I was so moved by her testimony and what God is doing through Amy for Africa, I felt led to do something. I’ll be running for AFA in the Kanawha Trace 25K. I’m gonna run anyway, so I might as well do it for something greater – I’m excited to be a part of Team AFA!”
Compston said she was excited to add Karen to the Team AFA roster. Runners with the organization try to gather support for individual races from friends and family. They will also wear the AFA jerseys during competitions to bring more awareness.