YSA fitness challenge
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MESA, ARIZ.
Early in the morning on a clear, warm New Year's Eve day, they walked, jogged, ran, biked and even rode a scooter in the Ultimate Fitness Challenge – a difficult half marathon that had much deeper spiritual significance for members of a young single adult branch.
Each had a singular goal in mind: To make it to the temple.
Twenty-four-year-old Jessica Roberts ran the distance of more than 13 miles with that thought in her mind.
"I just kept thinking, 'I've got to make it to the temple,' " she said. "I knew when I got to the temple everything would be fine."
Never running that distance before, she said she probably would not have made it without the support of others.
She said people would drive by to cheer her on and for the last couple of miles a friend on a scooter caught up with her and they reached their goal together.
"That's kind of how it is in the Church; you always have people supporting you, to help you get to your goals," she said.
Organizers said the idea for the event came about after Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve spoke at their stake conference in September and urged leaders to "shepherd people to the temple."
Since then members of the Skyline YSA Branch, Mesa Arizona Skyline Stake, have held monthly temple nights, including endowment sessions, time in the baptistry or devotionals at the visitors' center; family home evening, Sunday lessons and mid-week activities focused on the temple; and Saturday morning physical fitness training to get in shape for the half marathon.
On the morning of the event, more than 30 participants gathered at the Mesa Arizona Skyline Stake Center, which is almost equal to a half-marathon distance southeast of the Mesa Arizona Temple. Leaving at different times according to how they were going to get there, the plan was that they would all arrive at the temple at the same time.
Maura Cox, 18, was the last one to finish. Having diabetes and asthma and saying, "I hardly ever do any exercise," she refused to give up when others offered her a ride in a car.
"I said 'I'm going to do it without any help' and I'm really happy that I did it," she said, wearing the event T-shirt that stated "I can do all things."
"I know that Heavenly Father will help me attain my goals," she said. She has not yet received her temple endowment, "but I'm going to keep going and make it to the temple," she said.
Jim Wilhelmsen, the branch clerk, said he thought the event had a lot of parallels to life's journey.
"We had a lot of obstacles and several things that could've deterred them like a flat tire, blisters and a bike seat came off," he said. "But the unification of support of others helped them overcome those obstacles."
"We're all in different situations when we start our journey to the temple." He added, "But it doesn't matter where we start, it's that we keep going."
Organizer J.C. Hall, 21, said branch leaders wanted to do a fitness event to support the idea of everyone going to the temple.
"We are trying to keep that thought foremost in their thoughts and minds," said Andrew McLaws, president of the Skyline YSA Branch.
He said their goal is that everyone in the branch will be temple-worthy by the end of the year.
