Marathon runners are all too familiar with the phrase “hitting the wall.” It’s the point when the body has had enough and wants to quit.

Brittany Donald, a 24-year-old graduate student who dedicated her first marathon to supporting Samaritan's Purse, hit the wall during her training.

She was at the beach on vacation, but her training schedule called for a 12-mile run.

“I wasn't happy about it to say the least,” she wrote in her blog. “Who in the world wants to get up early … and run for over two hours on their vacation? … My attitude was poor, I slept 20 minutes longer than I originally intended, and I was really close to intentionally over-sleeping and missing the run entirely.”

Her internal struggle was won when she remembered why she was training for the 26.2-mile race. Donald was running on behalf of Samaritan's Purse HIV/AIDS projects.

“It's about raising money so an organization can change the lives of those with AIDS/HIV,” she wrote. “It's about raising awareness in my immediate circle of family and friends so that they can be changed and as a result they will hopefully be inspired to bring about change in their immediate circles and to our world. And it's about raising awareness in my own life so that I can change my self-centered, middle-class, consumerist attitude.”

Donald is a member of Team Samaritan's Purse, a network of people who love the Lord and run, cycle, swim, or walk to help a world in need. They use events such as marathons and triathlons to raise funds for Samaritan's Purse programs they care deeply about.

Donald, who ran in the City of Oaks marathon in Raleigh, N.C., on Nov. 1, knew she wanted to do something to help those living with HIV/AIDS when she saw the effects of the disease firsthand during a trip Mombasa, Kenya.

“There was a lady in the community who passed away as a result of HIV when we were there,” she said. “(It was) heartbreaking.”

Donald is pursuing a master's degree in intercultural studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C. She also works and is involved in church activities. She knew she couldn’t quit her job or school. But she could run.

“While I'm still in school, I am limited in how involved I can be, yet I am not comfortable with doing absolutely nothing,” she wrote on her fund-raising page. “I enjoy running, so as a result I figured I would push myself and do something challenging and try to raise money for a greater cause while doing so.”

As she continued to train, Donald blogged and tweeted about her experiences, often reminding herself of the ultimate aim of the race.

“I have hope that as I run for change, I will be changed throughout the process,” she said.

Donald exceeded her goal of raising $1,000 and gave a total of $2,080. You can read more about her journey in running with Team Samaritan's Purse by visiting her blog.

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