Spartan Race Recap - the untold story!

"He knew me, He knew me, He knew me." These words again became true to me as I walked the mile or so to where I thought we had parked our car in a place I was not familiar with, and in an unfamiliar town. Saturday, March 18, 2023 started early as we got up and headed to Conyers, Georgia. Rick had been training for nearly a year to run in a SPARTAN RACE. He was excited, I was glad I was cheering him on and not participating! We arrived at the venue early enough to get our bearings before Rick's start time. As is my terrible habit when he is navigating our journey, I was along for the ride, paying little attention to where we were, where we parked and where the car would be found after the race! Little did I know that these details would be very important to me in a few hours! Race time arrived and Rick was anxious to "do what he said he would do" and finish the race!

I took pictures {imagine that} as the race began and tried to find out where I could go next to watch as the race progressed.

Just after a plunge into some very cold water, I found Rick! He seemed a bit distant, but after all he'd finished about 14 obstacles by that point, it was understandable that his mind was elsewhere, primarily on thoughts of finishing the race. He handed me his now muddy and wet watch and I gave him some words of encouragement and he was off again.

He seemed to be making good time, and was still having fun, as excruciating as it was! A short time later, he attempted an obstacle that he should have been able to complete, but didn't, choosing instead to run the penalty lap. At that point, I lost track of him and got concerned that he was going faster than I thought and I'd missed him crossing the finish line. I was able to finally find him still on the course, but looking a little dazed. He looked at me and said, "I don't know where I am". I thought maybe he was a little confused from exhaustion and pointed him in the right direction. He completed the next obstacle as I closely watched to make sure he was o.k. The last obstacle was to jump over fire, and I asked him if he was o.k. to do it, and he said yes, so I stood and cheered him on. He crossed the finish line, got his medal, had his picture taken and claimed his finisher t-shirt.

By this time the cold from that plunge in the freezing water had settled in and he was shivering so we looked for a sunny spot to sit down and reccover. I wrapped him in everything we had with us, and tried to rub his legs and back to warm him up. As we sat and began to talk, I knew something wasn't right. I started to ask him some questions, "what did you just do?" "I guess I just ran a Spartan race, at least that's what all the signs say." he answered. "Did you finish" I asked? "I think so, yeah, yeah, I did" was his reply. "Honey, do you know who I am?" A big smile spread across his face as he said yes (whew). "What's my name?" He looked at me like that was a silly question and said, "Honey"! Now, I was getting worried, "what is my other name?" without hesitation, he replied "Mrs. Reed". After a few more questions like where are we, who is the president, and what day is it that he could not answer, I went and sought medical help. They quickly moved him into the triage tent, assessed his condition and asked if he was willing to be transported to the nearest hospital, to which he agreed. At that point I knew something was wrong as he would not usually consent to such a thing!

As they loaded him into the ambulance, I gathered my things, kissed Rick goodbye and headed in the direction I thought we had parked the car (remember, I hadn't paid attention!). As I started walking, hoping all the people I was following were headed to the same place as I was, I told God, "I can't do this again, please let him be o.k." I called one our good friends from church and my oldest daughter as I made my way towards the trail through the woods that should lead to our car. The Lord was watching over me and I was able to navigate the trail through the woods and easily found our car! Now, on to the hospital. Except, we were in the middle of nowhere Georgia and I had lost the cell signal so my GPS didn't work! But God ... As I exited the parking area, a very kind police officer was directing traffic and gave me turn by turn directions to the hospital Rick was being transported to. As I arrived at the hospital, alone in a strange town, I had a peace that passes understanding, and a feeling that all was well. Walking into a hospital E.R. and asking for my husband though was a very unsettling thing. The last time I had to do that was November 5, 2011. The sweet registrar at the front desk assured me Rick was being brought into a room and I would be brought back to see him soon. I completed the paperwork that she needed me to and as I turned find a seat in the waiting room, I looked outside and saw an eagle soaring overhead and again felt God's sweet peace wash over me! When they finally let me go back to see Rick, he was back to his normal self smiling, laughing AND knowing my name!

He was discharged a few hours later after thouroughly checking him over and determining that the cold temperatures that day and the plunge into the cold water has put him into hypothermia! Not something we'd have ever suspected after all of the cold winters in Michigan and Wisconsin spent skiing and shoveling snow, but grateful that it was as simple as that! He knew me. He knows me. He holds my future. The events of March 18, 2023 were orchestrated before they happened. God was with me and gave me an overwhelming sense of peace, though I was concerned not knowing what had happened or would happen to Rick. Having the calm assurance that God is in control is a difference maker, that is for sure! Do you know Him, do you turn to Him for peace in the middle of life's storms? I pray that you do, and if you don't please reach out, I'd LOVE to tell you about my Jesus!