October 2, 2026
ATLANTA — Stan Cottrell hit the road in downtown Atlanta on Wednesday, June 4, with plans to run a marathon each day for 40 days. The now 82-year-old runner specified, “I am not running for personal recognition or praise. This is not about me. I died to that foolishness a long time ago.”
Cottrell explained, “I am undertaking this 1,000-mile jaunt to honor God, our country, and our military, including veterans of the past, present, and future.”
Olympic runner Eric Liddell, made famous in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire, was also a runner who sought to glorify God. In the movie, Liddell’s character says, “God made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.” While that iconic line was written for the screenplay and not spoken by Liddell himself, it nonetheless echoes Stan Cottrell’s conviction that his running ability is a divine gift.
The real Liddell did say, “We are all missionaries. Wherever we go we either bring people nearer to Christ or we repel them from Christ.” And again, Cottrell’s running seeks to celebrate God and bring people closer to Him.
Cottrell’s belief aligns with Scripture, which frequently uses running as a metaphor for the Christian life, encouraging believers to pursue their faith with purpose and diligence. This is often depicted through the image of "running the race," emphasizing endurance, focus, and striving for a spiritual prize.
Cottrell, who with his wife Carol is an active member of First Baptist Church in Atlanta, is convinced that running is his life’s calling, and there is no denying that he has used his remarkable discipline to honor the Lord.
In 1980, he completed a 48-day coast-to-coast run, averaging 66 miles a day. More than four decades later, in 2021, he ran across the nation again—this time at age 78—averaging 32 miles daily over 100 days.
By May of 2021, at the age of 78, Cottrell had logged more than 260,000 miles of running in his lifetime. In the past four years, he has added another 40,000 miles to that total.
Cottrell has run through 43 countries, including a 3,500-mile trek across 12 European nations, and a 2,125-mile run from the Great Wall of China to Guangzhou in China. He has received hundreds of awards from U.S. government agencies, foreign governments, and nationally recognized service organizations for promoting goodwill and the U. S. image abroad.
The most significant part of his running is undoubtedly his representation as Christ’s ambassador. He ran through Bulgaria three times and reserved the National Palace of Culture in Sofia to present a gospel message. He was urged to secure a smaller place for the Christian gathering because the number of Christians in Bulgaria at that time was less than one thousand. However, more than 30,000 made professions of faith in Sofia that week.
In Ethiopia, when Cottrell spoke, the crowds increased each night, and 77,000 were present to hear his gospel presentation on the last night. It was an experience that resulted in an overwhelming outpouring of God’s saving grace.
Joining him in this mission is Edgar Loudermilk, Georgia Country Music Hall of Fame honoree and Emmy nominee, who has coordinated church events along the route of the 40-day run. Those events will feature Loudermilk’s music and a testimony and message from Cottrell.
There will also be stops at every military base, VA hospital, and cemetery along the route. It will be a statewide revival of remembrance. National media outlets and social influencers are already spotlighting this run as “a rare convergence of faith and patriotism.”
Cottrell urges people to follow his current multi-marathon venture by following his running schedule, visiting his website, and visiting the host churches each evening for a time of celebratory worship, honoring of veterans, and community prayer.
As he runs across Georgia, Cottrell carries a message of gratitude and hope — honoring military heroes past and present, and lifting high the name of Christ, whose sacrifice brings the greatest freedom of all.
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