What do you do when you find yourself down on the track while the race goes on without you? We all trip and fall. The question is what comes next?
Heather Dorniden, now Kampf, is a highly decorated runner with an impressive string of accomplishments. But what’s most impressive was the time she won first place in the 600 meter dash—after falling flat on her face.
In the final 200 meters of the race, right as Kampf took the lead she tripped and went sprawling. There are at least two versions of the video. If you watch this one, you can see her skidding forward as her momentum throws her legs up behind her.
It was a rough fall that instantly knocked Kampf to the rear of the pack. She could have become discouraged and admitted what everyone was already thinking—that her race was over. One of the announcers even tried smoothing it over. Since Kampf’s teammate had moved into the lead, he said, it was okay she’d fallen down.
But she didn’t stay down—or even behind.
Kampf got up as fast as she went down and started catching up. To the amazement of the announcers and spectators, she passed one runner, then another, then finally her own teammate to win the race
How often do we use our setbacks as an excuse to check out? We walk off the field before the whistle blows because it’s easier on our bruised egos and depleted resources than getting back in the race.
This is often the case when it comes to matters concerning our health. Giving up should not be an option.
Kampf’s comeback is a powerful picture of why we can’t afford to quit before the end. Sometimes the game is won in the final seconds—or even less than seconds in Kampf’s case.