'Go with Jesus': Triathlete and mother of four runs to share her faith with others
Laura Phillips, right, laces up her 3-year-old daughter Kate’s shoes as they prepare for a run around their Indianapolis neighborhood. (Photo by John Shaughnessy)
By John Shaughnessy
Like most people who have dreams, Laura Phillips draws hope and strength from a favorite source of inspiration.
The message guides her as she tries to follow her goal of being the best mother possible to her four young children.
It also inspired the 36-year-old woman as she completed a grueling endurance event last year—swimming 2.4 miles followed by cycling 112 miles then running 26.2 miles, the three parts of the Louisville Ironman Triathlon.
The words of inspiration also guide her in her latest dream—the “Go with Jesus” program she started at St. Simon the Apostle Parish in Indianapolis, a Saturday morning program that combines running with Scripture reading and faith reflection.
“There’s a passage in Hebrews 12:1-2 that I love,” she explains as she sits at her kitchen table. “It says, ‘Persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus.’ ”
Phillips believes the passage serves her well as a parent, a runner and a Catholic who is always willing to share her faith with others.
“My brother-in-law calls me an evangelical Catholic,” she says with a laugh. “He says I’m always praising God and talking to people about it. He’s not used to hearing Catholics talk about their faith.”
Just try to stop Phillips from sharing her faith or finding different ways to spread her love of God.
“She has a lot of energy, a lot of love for life and a lot of love for her faith,” says Father Paul Etienne, the pastor of St. Simon Parish. “She came to me a couple of months ago wanting to give people an opportunity to run and to read Scripture together before they run so they would have that faith-sharing together. So they have the Word of God on their mind as they run. I thought that was a pretty unique idea.”
That’s the essence of her “Go with Jesus” program, a program that combines Bible reflection, a prayer and then a walk or a run.
“It’s my way of bringing the St. Simon community together physically and spiritually,” she says. “It’s taken me two years to get up the guts to do it. It’s been good so far. Each week, we seem to add two people.
“I had a really good friend whose grandma always used to say ‘Go with Jesus’ when you left her house. In my mind, I don’t think this is going to be about walking or running. It can be about any dream you have, and how you can go with Jesus with anything in your life.”
Last year, Phillips had the dream of competing in the Ironman Triathlon in Louisville. That dream started after the birth of her fourth child, Kate, three years ago. At first, she wanted to do it to get her body back in shape. Then she wanted to do it as a way to share her faith.
“What attracts me to endurance sports is that this is a test,” she says. “I know this is hokey, but God put me into this to be a role model. There’s so many times in your life when you know you’ve been called to do something. And you know that Jesus will pull you through.”
She finished the competition in 14 hours and nine minutes, far ahead of her goal of 15 hours. As usual, there was a higher purpose that drove her to succeed, too.
One of the reasons she competed in the triathlon was to raise money for an Indianapolis-area non-profit organization called Creating Hope. The organization was started by a wife and mother who was diagnosed with cancer. While in the hospital for treatments, the woman used her love of watercolor painting to help her cope while she was separated from her husband and children. The woman eventually died, but the effort continues to help cancer patients by providing them with creative outlets.
“She was about my age when she died,” Phillips says. “It’s such a small foundation, but it really does touch people.”
That sense of caring marks her approach to life, says her husband, Chris Phillips.
“She’s inspirational because she leads by example,” Chris says. “She’s just a true spiritual leader. For Laura, it’s not about her, it’s about helping others. Our family motto is ‘respect.’ Laura obviously passes that along to our children.”
Her children have also received her joy for life. As she competed in the triathlon, she was cheered by her four children: Jack, 9; Sam, 7; Will, 5; and Kate, 3. They rang cow bells for her and yelled, “Go, Mom, go.”
“What would you do if you knew you would not fail?” Laura Phillips asks.
It’s the question that Phillips asked herself when she decided to compete in the triathlon.
“I hope that my kids are learning from me that whatever they dream, they can accomplish with hard work,” she says. “I hope they have learned to dream without fear and to know that anything is possible. There are so many people who have dreams of doing something. God will hold you up to do what you want to do.”
For her, that includes being the best mother she can be, starting with sharing her faith with her children.
“I want to demonstrate my faith to my kids so they know that any time they call for help from their mom or God, they’re going to get that help,” she says. “My husband and I are both involved in our faith community. We want our kids to see that we are blessed, and we can help to bless the lives of others.”
She has found another way to share that belief at St. Simon Parish. Besides the “Go with Jesus” program, she also helps with the “Healthy Kids” physical activity program at the school. About 50 students have joined the program.
“I really do feel I’m a normal person who has been blessed,” she says. “I hope I can pull more people along for the ride with me. That’s part of going with Jesus. Where are we going with him? Well, wherever he sends us.”†
