Congrats Littlebeast!

[Triathlete]

2nd place at Track and Field nationals and secured a place on team USA for the world championships...things look good for London 2012!

[LittleBeast]

Here is the tv schedule for anyone wanting to watch the competition on tv:

ESPN2 Re-air, June 25 1:00 -3:00 pm ET
Universal, June 25 3:00-4:30 pm ET
NBC, June 25 5:00-6:00 pm ET
Universal, June 26 3:00-4:00 pm ET
NBC, June 26 5:00-6:00 pm ET

Here is more video at home site:
http://www.usatf.org/events/2011/USAOutdoorTFChampionships/video.asp

[LittleBeast]

Outdoor Nationals

I was uncertain of how exactly I could possibly start talking about this meet until I checked my voicemail and heard the message my humble father left me today, so in the words of my father, "God smiled on me today". I am finally settling into a hotel room bed in Cottage Grove, Oregon just 30 minutes outside of Eugene, Oregon. It is hard to express in words what God did today, but if I had to do it quickly it would be that "we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." There was no way that this meet could have turned out the way that it did had not God's Sovereign loving hand been there guiding and directing, comforting and strengthening me and enabling the seemingly impossible to happen.?*

I will never forgot in 2008 as I was heading to the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon the Sunday morning service before I left for the meet (we were in the CLC gym floor because we were in the middle of the Be a Part of the Story building campaign), as Pastor Gregg was closing the service he paused to have the congregation lay hands on me and he prayed over me as I was preparing to go and use my athletic abilities as a platform to share Christ. Well in 2008 I did not have the best performance at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, yet through the next following years God continued to open doors for me to use my athletic abilities as a platform to share Christ. God blessed me with leading a FCA Bible study at a local university, enabled me to continue teaching in the youth group at HFBC, opened doors for me to be in leadership in a singles class, lead a single's small group, start teaching in one of our single's classes, and many other opportunities and blessings that I could never deserve or pay back in anyway possible, my desire has and always will be to run whatever race it is God sets before me all for His Glory and it continues to be the most humbling thing in the world to see God at work through me and around me and sometimes despite my imperfections. Yet still always I have heard God telling me to keep running for Him, as I continue to run to him with my life. As my favorite verse says:
"I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free." (Psalm 119:32)

And oh how God has set my heart free and broaden my understanding in Him so that I might see that running in the path of His commands is the only place safe enough (eternally) and dangerous enough (for this present life) to be worthy of running in at all.?*

So in short every single little detail that had to happen (that most people thought could nor would ever happen) this weekend at the meet happened in perfect order so that at the end of the grueling 2 day Decathlon competition here at the 2011 USA track and field National Championships back in Eugene, Oregon I came in 2nd place and qualified with a mark that will send me to represent the country at this year's World Championship meet in Daegu, Korea. I can hardly believe this huge honor is true. I cannot take it in. What an opportunity to share Christ, what an opportunity to be salt and light. As always for the entire meet including the awards presentation, I wore my shirt that I designed when I was a sophomore in high school boldly proclaiming that "My Hero died for me." and on the back it reads "What did your hero do?". That shirt continues to open doors for spiritual conversations at all the track meets and it lets everyone know where my strength really comes from. I may have won all 3 throwing events in the decathlon competition here, but it was not by my strength, it was because: "those who hope in the lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,".

Truly today I saw an answer to a 3 year old public prayer over my competition here in Eugene, by my pastor Gregg Matte at the end of one of his messages. It is such a humbling honor and such a great feeling it is hard to express. To God be the glory.?*

There were so many events that had to happen exactly as they did, God's hand was clearly seen. The 1st event is the 100meter and God allowed me perfect timing as I got a huge lead coming out of the starting blocks winning my heat (the slower heat of 2 heats). In the 2nd event, the long jump my best distance was measured at 6.66 meters. Not exactly the number I was hoping at 60 centimeters short of my best and this number could have been seen from a Christian perspective as an attack on what God had in store, but I kept my faith that God was over this and I knew his faithfulness would trump any small discouraging attacks such as a random number. So on to the shot put and I had just a mediocre 2 first throws but then on my 3rd and final throw I let out a huge 16.51 meter throw (over 54'), but I put so much behind the throw that I was loosing my balance holding on to the top of just my left foot about to fall forward and foul the throw, but somehow God allowed me the ability to stay in the ring with no room for error and I had the best throw by well over 4' in the competition. Also during the shot put one of the top Decathletes had to leave the competition due to a hip flexor injury he has been nursing all year. Then in the high jump I had a pretty strong showing, but then I finished the day with a very disappointing 400 meter run due to me going out to slow and heavy winds on the back stretch.?*

On the 2nd day the 110 meter high hurdles went ok, not too bad not too good. But the reigning Decathlon Olympic gold medalist fell on the 8th hurdle and had to drop out of the competition due to the injury from his fall. Moving on to the discus, I had a very good warmup and my first throw I just relaxed and ended up having the best throw of the competition by quite a bit. Then on to the 8th event the pole vault. I knew I had to at least go 16' in the vault to remain on pace to qualify for the World Championship team and that is exactly what happened, I cleared 4.95 meters on my 1st attempt and was very close to 5.05 metered but went out just over 16'. So just 2 events left. In the javelin I would need about a 65 meter throw to remain on pace to possibly have a shot at making the world champ team. On my 2nd throw I could just hear God whispering to me to change javelins. This is not something you really want to do. It is a good idea to warmup with the javelin you will compete with and then certainly once you start the competition you stay with the same javelin. I had already had the top throw in the whole competition and we had a strong headwind, yet I followed the Lord's leading and picked up the tailwind javelin, one that no one else was throwing because it was made for the opposite wind that we had at this meet, and I threw my best throw with this javelin and the best throw of the competition on this 2nd throw at 65.10meters exactly what I needed to stay on World Championship pace. So I was now still barely on pace to break 8,000 points in the decathlon which would qualify me to represent the country in Korea in late August. But there was just one huge last obstacle to face. The tenth and final event of the decathlon the 1,500 meter run. My best in my entire life that I have run in the 1500m was way back in 2000 when I was a lot lighter and was a 4mins46secs. Yet I have not broken 5mins in the 1500m in quite some time. It is quite hard as a 6'4" 215lbs guy to compete at 100% against the best overall athletes in the world for 9 events in a row and then go run a metric mile as fast as possible. So I needed to run a 4min58sec 1500m to break 8,000 points and qualify for the world championship team and place 2nd at the 2011 USA Championships in Eugene. There were many things running through my mind and many people including the other fellow Decathletes who were wanting to support me and help me reach this goal, but one of the main things in mind was that my hero, my Jesus was beaten bloody and hung to die for me, I can run a 1500m to shine for Him. I found a secluded area under the historic Hayward field grandstands and just bowed as low as I could to the ground and went through the Lord's prayer in my own words as I always do, begging and pleading that His Kingdom come, that above all else His Will be done and not mine, begging and pleading that He might renew my strength and that He might be my inspiration to run, and then they led us out to the starting line. A starting line that just 3 years ago was the beginning of an uneventful last event in a subpar frustrating decathlon performance, but this year 3 years later this starting line was a loud challenge to rise up and shine for my Savior, it was a wakeup call to my senses that you can, not of your own strength but the strength that lies inside of all who are called according to His purposes. So the gun went off first lap 72sec starting to feel the pain but staying in rhythm, 2nd lap 79sec fell off a little but still possible, 3rd lap 87secs hard to steady my breathing, lips are dry, legs burning TOO SLOW!!!!! Last 300 meters, you are either walking away close but so sorry, or heading to represent the USA in your first world championship team, you have to run 58 in you last 300meters to make it..... start kicking, start kicking, faster, faster, that might not be fast enough, ah the clock stopped for the other competitors, what is my time, ah home stretch, fans to their feet, will this be enough, ah this is all I have, I surrender all, cross the line, collapse, can't talk, but I have to know - what was my time, what was my time?!?!?! Did I do it? Did I do it? 4mins56sec you did it. Congratulations. You did it, no God did it, to Him be all honor all glory all praise. 4:58 needed, God provided strength for 4:56, no time to spare, no need to doubt, He is my provider, He alone is my all in all. Why no time to spare though? To remind me that it never was up to me, but it was in His Sovereign hands. He saw this from a million years ago, thank you God for allowing me to experience this today. Thank you for the inflamed nerve surgery in 2000, thank you God for the ankle surgery in 2002, and thank you God for the ruptured ligament and elbow reconstructive surgery in 2002, thank you God for the severe Staph infection at the 2004 Olympic Trials, thank you God for the hyperextended knee and strained ligament in Germany 2007 and thank you God for having me born with severely bowed legs and pigeon toed feet and many other various injuries and all things that this world might define as bad things so that in the end no one could get the Glory but you Jesus. For it is in your Sovereign grace bought through the cross that all these seemingly bad things were redefined no longer as leading to the grave but now they are enabled to lead to your honor and Glory, for all eternity we will sing of your Glory. Thank you for these glimpses of your beauty on this side of eternity, may we continue to bask in your wonders just enough to go and tell others of your great name.?*

~Ryan Harlan
Proud and humbled member of the USA Decathlon Team

[VXD959]

Ryan -

Congrats!!! I'm very proud of your accomplishments and your faith in God. You are already a champion - first as a person, then as athlete. Being a VX owner just makes it better. Best wishes for your continued success. Please keep us posted.

[LittleBeast]

Ryan -

Congrats!!! I'm very proud of your accomplishments and your faith in God. You are already a champion - first as a person, then as athlete. Being a VX owner just makes it better. Best wishes for your continued success. Please keep us posted.
I really appreciate the encouragement!

Here is a track thread on the Decathlon results:
http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/discussion/viewtopic.php?t=43463&p=703074

I have a video on Facebook but I guess I will have to load it to YouTube to share it here huh?

[LittleBeast]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mzWbO-qNU8

Clips from:
Long Jump - 21' 10"
Shot Put - 16.51m (54' 2")
High Jump - miss at 2.08m (6' 10")
Discus - 46.37m (152' 1")
Pole Vault - 4.95m (16' 3")
Javelin - 65.10m (213' 7")
Final Thoughts - Interview after meet

[eblank]

Ryan,
Congrats! I really admire your faith/attitude/motivation/openness (not to mention athletic ability lol). Thanks for the post it was inspiring.
Wish you the best!:happyface

[VX crazy]

Congrats Ryan, watched a bit on friday night at ESPN2 looking for you!

[samneil2000]

Congrats!

[tom4bren]

Impressive Ryan. Congratulations & best wishes for continued success.

Tom

[LittleBeast]

World Championships was a great experience, but I wanted to update everyone here that I will be heading to France for my last meet of the 2011 season:

http://www.decastar.info/

[Bob Barker]

I'm jealous of you!

[Bob Barker]

I just realized we will be on vacation in Europe, but I don't have any plans to be in France at the time of this meet... wish it would have been in the UK ...

Good luck!

[ZEUS]

Good luck!