I thought of all the times I failed to set aside my goals long enough to help a weaker friend in need. I thought of all the times I had watched a fellow believer get off the right track, get lost and spiritually confused, and yet I kept right on going. I recalled times when the Lord told me to forget my carefully-outlined agenda in order to help someone else, some friend unsure of where to go. And I'm not the only one. It matters little if a contestant comes in first, second, third or even last.
Every runner is surrounded by a grandstand of witnesses, cheering and applauding the efforts of all.
Winning isn't important, but how we run the race is. If I want the Lord Jesus to be glorified in my life, I must run the race not to please myself, but to please the Lord - and that will often mean taking time to stop and put my arm around a weaker friend. Romans 15 has a word for it. And if you asked the handicapped girl and her friend, they might even say it.