Jane Montgomery, a Team Samaritan's Purse athlete, was excited about running the Pittsburgh Marathon last Sunday. She lives close to the city, and was looking forward to running through its streets. Plus, the high school senior already had met her fund-raising goal of $1,000 to build a shelter for a family in Haiti.

But everything changed the morning of the race. A bomb scare prompted police to briefly stop the run after it had begun, and to reroute some runners.

“In short, the marathon became a half-marathon,” Jane wrote in her blog. “Around mile 10, a race official suggested to me that I should follow the half-marathon route, saying that the marathon route was closed due to a bomb.”

Rather than letting the abrupt change damper her spirits, she decided to make the best of it.

“I had been running with a girl from Penn State for the last few miles, and we were having a great time,” she wrote. “I just made the decision to carry on with her. I'm so happy with the outcome, because I finished a half-marathon, got a medal, and had a shower and food before I would have even finished the marathon.”

Even though she didn’t get to complete her second marathon, the race was a positive experience.

“I am at home now, comfortable and so thrilled that I was able to raise over $1,000 for Samaritans Purse,” she said. “Adorning their logo on race day was awesome.”

Samaritan's Purse , Turning a Negative to Positive

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