Imagine being told as a child you may never be able to walk again and that you may have to spend the rest of your life as an amputee. Imagine going from there to winning a medal at the Olympic Games! Such is the true story about athlete Glenn Cunningham, who was horribly burned in a schoolhouse fire.
The little country schoolhouse in Kansas where Glenn Cunningham and his brother attended school was heated by an old-fashioned, pot-bellied coal stove. As a young boy Cunningham and his younger brother, Floyd, had the job of coming to school early each day to start the fire and warm the room before his teacher and his classmates arrived.
He was just eight years old when Glenn Cunningham saw his world come crashing down. Disaster struck one day when someone accidentally poured gasoline in the kerosene container. When the two brothers went to heat the coal stove, an explosion took place. The boys tried unsuccessfully to stifle the flames.
Cunningham later wrote, “Dimly I heard Floyd scream, ‘I’m on fire’.” (Glenn’s sibling Floyd died nine days later as a result of that horrible incident.) He later wrote, “I tried to open my eyes to see what was happening. I couldn’t. Nothing but black-red, stabbing pain raced down the throbbing corridors of my mind. Suddenly I realized it, “I’m burning too!’”
Rescuers dragged young Glenn from the flaming building more dead than alive. He had major burns over the lower half of his body. He was taken to a nearby county hospital. Doctors suggested amputation because the burns were severe and spread of infection was feared.
From his bed the dreadfully burned, semi-conscious little boy could faintly hear the doctor talking to his mother. The doctor told his mother that her son was not expected to live— which was probably for the best. The terrible fire and resulting burns had devastated the lower half of his body.
This brave young boy didn’t want to die. He made up his mind that he would survive. Somehow, to the amazement of the physician, he did survive.
When the mortal danger was past, the young boy again heard the doctor and his mother speaking quietly. The mother was told that since the fire had destroyed so much flesh in the lower part of his body, it would almost be better if he had died. The doctor felt the young boy was doomed to life as a cripple, with absolutely no use of his lower limbs.
Once more the brave boy made up his mind…”He would not be a cripple! He would walk!” Yet, unfortunately from the waist down, he had no motor ability. His thin legs just dangled there, all but lifeless.
Ultimately he was released from the hospital. Each and every day his mother massaged his little legs; but there was no feeling, no control, nothing. Yet the boy’s determination that he would walk was as strong as ever.
After his legs healed, Glenn started to work on walking. His first hurdle was standing, then moving. He would stand up holding onto a kitchen chair, pushing it slowly before him. He called that ‘walking’ and practiced until he was too tired to continue. When he wasn’t in bed, he was in a wheelchair. One sunny day his mother wheeled him out into the yard to get some fresh air. This day, instead of sitting there, he threw himself from the chair. He pulled himself across the grass, dragging his legs behind him. His legs were twisted and he seemed to walk “crooked”. He dragged himself along the fence, resolved that he would walk! He did this every day, until he finally wore a smooth path all around the yard beside the fence. There was nothing he wanted more than to bring back life into those legs.
His favorite scripture was Isaiah 40:31: "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."
Ultimately, through his daily massages, iron persistence and resolute determination, he developed the ability to stand up. He then learned to walk haltingly, and eventually then to walk by himself …and then…to run!
Cunningham regained his strength by running. By the time he was twelve, he had beaten all the local high school runners. His legs remained deeply scarred, however. Throughout his life, he would have to massage them and spend time doing long warm-up exercises in order to maintain circulation. In addition, his injuries meant that he could never run smoothly or efficiently; he compensated with endurance and strength.
Later still, this young man, who was not expected to survive, who would surely never walk again, and who could never hope to run…this determined young man, Dr. Glenn Cunningham…ran the world’s fastest mile in Madison Square Garden!!
He was considered the greatest American miler of all time. He received the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States in 1933.
He became known as the Iron Man of Kansas.
He represented the USA at two Olympics. Cunningham was at his peak by the time he made his second Olympic appearance at Berlin in 1936. He set a new USA record at the event by clocking 3:48.4 but fell short of New Zealand’s Jack Lovelock, who stood at the top of the podium. Nearly two weeks later, after his biggest performance on the world stage, the American created a 800m world record of 1:49.7 that was untouched for three years!
It is interesting to speculate on how great he might have been if he had never been injured!
Another world record in indoor mile run was set by Cunningham in 1938 after he clocked 4:04.4. During that time, Cunningham earned twelve of the fastest thirty-one track records to his name. During this time he was completing his PhD degree in biology, health, and physical education. His love for the sport didn’t waver even after he retired in 1940.
Cunningham taught physical education at Cornell University before joining the US Navy in 1944. Eventually he became a doctor, married and raised a family of ten children. He and his wife created a home for wayward boys that helped thousands of boys with dashed dreams reach them. For years he was a motivational speaker.
When people asked him about his burns, he said, “My mother and father had always brought us up to never complain. I was asked to do a lot of speeches through the years, and I often talked about overcoming challenges, but I just always figured that I needed to do my best and never quit. Complaining about something I had no control over would have diminished what I was trying to do. I just wanted to let my running speak for itself.”
Cunningham died on March 10, 1988, at the age of 78.
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Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 NLT
For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13 NLT
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