Running the Race

Eric Liddell is the fastest runner in Scotland, but he has one rule his coach can't budge: God comes first, even before the Olympics. Knocked flat in a 400-meter race, Eric gets up, catches the whole pack, and wins - running with his head thrown back "to feel God's pleasure." Then comes the real test... his Olympic qualifying heat in Paris falls on a Sunday, and Eric refuses to run, even when a disciplinary panel and the Prince of Wales himself demand he compromise. Branded a traitor, he switches races instead, while his rival Harold Abrahams takes the 100-meter gold. In the 400, with a note in his hand reading "He that honors me, I will honor," Eric sprints the whole way, arms flailing, and shatters the world record. But young Bridget gets the biggest shock afterward, when the most famous athlete alive announces he's leaving it all behind to become a missionary in China. There's a grander race to run, Eric tells her - the race of faith.

Found on Club Season 11 - Part 1 Album 76½ · 6 episodes

The run See every episode

0979 Right Notes, Wrong Key A lonely former pop star gets a second chance in the spotlight - if she's willing to keep bending the truth to stay there.

1 of 2 0980 Making an Honest Buck Newly transplanted to a big school and sidelined by an embarrassing injury, Buck Meltsner is recruited for a secret mission that means befriending a classmate under false pretenses.

2 of 2 0981 Making an Honest Buck A boy working undercover for a federal investigation must weigh loyalty to his best friend against exposing the truth hidden inside that friend's family.

0982 The Ark's the Thing Two young directors clash over whether their Vacation Bible School play about Noah's ark should teach hard facts or stir big feelings - until an inquisitive cast member's questions force them to rethink what the story is really about.

0983 One Last Treasure Hunt On her twelfth birthday, a girl receives one final treasure hunt planned by her late father, and each clue brings her closer to a truth she's been afraid to face.

1 of 3 0984 Running the Race A skeptical teenager who thinks commitment and contentment are "a bunch of hooey" is sent into the Imagination Station to live scenes from the early life of Olympic runner Eric Liddell.

2 of 3 0985 Running the Race A gifted Scottish runner with an unorthodox style faces the choice of a lifetime when his deepest conviction collides with his shot at Olympic glory.

3 of 3 0986 Running the Race A skeptical teen steps into the life of Olympic champion Eric Liddell to discover whether trading fame for a missionary's life in war-torn China was a waste - or the greatest race he ever ran.

0987 Quiet as a Smouse Three kids must track down their elusive fourth teammate - the only one who knows the password to their contest entry - before their audio drama plays, following a trail of his strange errands across town.

0988 The Heavens Declare A skeptical scientist agrees to let Whit's new interactive gallery make the case that faith and science aren't enemies - before she tells a young girl exactly what she thinks of religion.

0989 The Smouse Show When Jay Smouse's over-the-top antics finally push Zoe too far, Whit's Room of Consequence drops Jay into a world where 19.8 million fans vote on his every move - and he must figure out what real friendship actually requires.

0990 Painted into a Corner Invited to show her paintings at a glamorous charity auction, Penny Bassett discovers the event's organizer is the mother-in-law who has never acknowledged she exists - and is soon asked to keep her true identity a secret.

0991 Making Nice When Odyssey High's mascot lands in hot water with the soccer team, he schemes his way onto the football roster as a self-appointed "life coach," forcing the star quarterback to learn the difference between being nice and being kind.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 3 more roles

3 supporting roles

Eric Liddell Brendan Morgan Eric Liddell Phillip Reich James Liddell Jeff Leach

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Dave Arnold Writer · Executive Producer Phil Lollar Writer · Director Nathan Hoobler Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 3 min

Eric Liddell, a university student in Scotland and a remarkably fast runner, has been told by Coach McKercher that he could go all the way to the Olympics. It will mean endless practice, and the coach insists Eric must fix his sloppy running style, grumbling about "all that arm waving." Eric is willing to train hard, but he sets one condition from the start: worshiping and serving God come first, and he would give up sports entirely before giving that up. Throughout the story, his young friend Bridget watches his journey unfold, often amazed and sometimes baffled by his choices.

At a big international meet between Scotland, England, and Ireland, Eric insists on running the exhausting 400-meter race so Scotland will be represented, even though he is worn out from winning two other races. Early in the race another runner clips his foot and knocks him down. Far behind the pack, Eric gets up and, in a stunning comeback, catches the leaders and wins by six meters before collapsing at the finish. When Bridget asks how he possibly did it, Eric explains the real reason he runs with his head tilted back: "to look up to God and feel His pleasure" as he runs. The comeback, he says, was not from this world.

Eric is soon chosen to run the 100-meter for Great Britain at the Olympics in Paris. But when the schedule arrives, the qualifying heat falls on a Sunday, and Eric quietly withdraws rather than run on the Sabbath. The country erupts; some call him nearly a traitor. Summoned before Lord Cadogan's disciplinary panel, Eric stands firm even when the Prince of Wales himself is brought in to pressure him. Compromise may be fine elsewhere, Eric says, but never in matters of conviction. Even if it costs him the Olympics entirely, "I must obey God rather than men."

Eric is allowed to run the 200 and 400 meters instead. In Paris, his rival Harold Abrahams wins the 100, and Eric is the first to congratulate him. Eric takes only bronze in the 200, and the newspapers wonder if he has crumbled under pressure. Before the 400, the American world-record holder Horatio Fitch scoffs that Eric will be lucky to finish. But just before the race, someone hands Eric an unsigned note quoting the Bible: "He that honors me, I will honor." After shaking hands with every competitor, Eric bolts from the start as if the 400 were a sprint, holds off Fitch's furious late charge with his arms flailing and face to the sky, and wins the gold medal in 47.6 seconds, a new world and Olympic record. His teammates carry him off on their shoulders.

Yet the story is not over. A narrator reveals that Eric's most important race is still ahead. The Sunday after his victory, Bridget and her pastor, posing as newspaper reporters, find Eric speaking at a church in Paris and ask what comes next. To Bridget's astonishment, one of the most famous men in the world announces he is leaving fame behind to follow his father's path as a missionary in China. "Life is about more than sprints," Eric tells her; there is a grander race, the race of faith, and the places most hostile to Christ are the ones that need Him most. Whatever hardships come, that is a price he will gladly pay.