Article September 23, 2002 Issue

Breaking barriers with God

For this Canadian couple, age is no limit to running and swimming—and winning.

By Lyle Young

Imagine waking up early in the morning, confident that over the next 30 hours or so you will finish in the top third of a 100-mile running race. Or, think of pulling on a wetsuit, knowing that you'll be swimming a race of 12 kilometers.

Andrew and Elizabeth Daley are grandparents approaching the age when most people retire. Still, they cover these distances in their respective activities of running and swimming. For them, this is adventure that leads to greater discipline of a spiritual nature. The lessons they learn also help them as educators in their city of Kelowna, British Columbia, where Liz teaches first grade, and Andrew senior high school.

Andrew's long-distance running began in 1985. After driving two of their teenagers to participate in several triathlons (races that combine swimming, cycling, and running), he decided to try a triathlon himself— and completed it with some difficulty. Over the next several years, he focused on running and went from completing races of 10 and 20 kilometers to marathons (about 42 kms). Then he finished a marathon with the feeling that he could have run more.