“You don’t need people’s permission to dream. He’ll provide the grace to believe it. He will in time assign others to encourage you, help you, and share in the victory celebration.”

On September 5, 2015, Ferdie Cabiling set out to accomplish a mission commemorating his 50th year of existence: he would run 50 kilometers every day (except Sundays) across the Philippines for 50 days.

Ferdie’s aim was to raise Php1,000 per kilometer for the benefit of Real LIFE (reallife.ph) Foundation. His goal was to run a total of 2,180 kilometers, and he would accomplish this by running from the southernmost tip of Mindanao, Maasim of Saranggani province, to the northernmost tip of the Philippines in Aparri of Cagayan.

And run he did.

At the end of the journey, Ferdie was able to raise a total of Php2.1 million, all of which were donated to Real LIFE to aid in their advocacy of providing scholarships for underprivileged youth in the Philippines.

When asked about his motivation to run, Ferdie shares, “I run and go the distance for those who can’t — for my son who has Sturge-Weber syndrome, for the poor kids who can’t go to school, for those who are going through painful times. I use my talent for running to show people how to be resilient by believing in God, persevering through pain, and staying focused on the finish line of our own personal races in life.”

Just like Ferdie, we are called to run with endurance the race set before us (Hebrew 12:1). We are called to fight the good fight, to finish the race, and to keep the faith (2 Timothy 4:7).

Stories from the book RUN of Ferdie Cabiling