Sarah's gift

Though she’s run cross country competitively for less than two years, Sarah Kettel, 17, has figured out why Olympian Eric Liddell said God “made me fast, and when I run I feel His pleasure.”

“That’s the same thing with me,” she said, giggling after winning a November 5K in Terre Haute, Ind.

Kettel, of Brighton, Mich., may be an All-American with the nation’s third-fastest 5K for a high-school girl this spring, but she didn’t start competing until the fall of 2013. She was running road races when a stranger complimented her talent, leading the Kettels to find Capital Homeschool Athletic Program (CHAP) in Lansing.

Lansing is a 45-minute drive, but preferable to giving up homeschooling to compete for her local high school. “I’ve learned to do school in the car,” she told me. Kettel’s commitment, support team, training, and goals in many ways resemble other runners, the homeschooling angle aside. The difference lies in why she runs. Like Liddell, she said, God has “given me a gift, and when I run, I feel like I’m using it.”

Kettel describes CHAP as a Christian community of runners and encouragers. Pastor and coach Kevin Shoemaker uses biblical passages about running as more than just clichéd motivators.

No one knew Kettel would grow as fast as she has, though, after training 50 miles a week last summer. In cross country, she’s shaved nearly 2 minutes off her 5K since that first fall, down to 16:41.25. Her track times have seen similar improvement, alerting the racing community to the homeschoolers in Lansing.

Her growth showed in the November Terre Haute race, as she gained on Michigan state champion Audrey Belf. With strengths in the middle of races, Kettel had passed 20-plus girls in the second mile to reach the leaders. But she had more. Calmed by teammates who prayed over her before the race, and praying throughout the race, she never hit a wall. She built a 20-meter lead and outlasted Belf’s final surge to win the Nike Cross Nationals Midwest Regional 5K.

Kettel earned All-American status in the 5K this spring. Colleges around the country are pursuing her, and she’s down to 15 as she searches for the best combination of community, NCAA competitiveness, and scholarships toward nursing school. She’s also learning that humility means “confidence well-placed” in the One who created her body, as setting attainable goals for next year could mean a national championship. “The more I’ve learned about running, the better I’ve gotten at it,” she told me.

She still has a lot to learn. And because of her steady improvement, Shoemaker—and those college coaches—are anxious to see what another summer of training can produce. “How good can she be?” Shoemaker asked. “Nobody even knows the answer to that yet.”

Brady deflated

The National Football League on May 11 suspended New England quarterback Tom Brady for four games for his alleged role in deflating footballs in the AFC Title Game. The Patriots lose $1 million and two draft picks. The suspension came days after a league-appointed attorney’s report alleged the Super Bowl champions intentionally deflated footballs and that Brady was likely “at least generally aware.”

The NFL suspended the two equipment staff members believed to have altered the footballs. Brady pledged to appeal the ruling. —A.B.