When Maggie Noonan runs, she feels God’s blessing. Her experience in Cross Country the past three years at AU has been for her as much a spiritual experience as an act of physical exertion and endurance. She has built deep relationships with her fellow runners as they press on toward the same goal of excellence. But deeper still is a personal drive to find her own potential. She explained, “In Cross Country, you push your body so far. I’m driven to see how far I can push myself.” And through all of her experiences at AU, she is unlocking her potential and finding the blessings of God in places she least expected.
Noonan found her first interest in athletics in her father, who coached track. But she also had a very unique opportunity presented to her by the town in which she happened to grow up. The native of Peru, Indiana was part of the only amateur circus in the U.S., the town’s claim to fame. She participated in the Peru Amateur Circus from 4th to 8th grade when she decided to focus more on her school sports of volleyball and track. Then the following year, she reluctantly joined the Cross Country team. Although she wasn’t crazy about the sport at first, she soon found her niche. She runs distance in Track as well and helped the AU Track team win Conference in 2006. She also made All-American when she placed 5th in the 1500 m at the Nationals.
The close-knit family of runners that comprise the Cross Country team have been a great spiritual encouragement to Noonan. For two hours every day, the runners spend time together, and through sharing the experience built a bond like sisters. “A huge thing for us this year was our spiritual lives. That was the main thing we were there for. We were there because God has blessed us with the ability to run, and we just wanted to go out there every day and put it all out there,” Noonan explained. Her Cross Country sisters prayed for one another and invested in each others lives outside of practice. Her spiritual growth through her running family has given her the insight to seek out opportunities to serve not just her close friends, but also people she didn’t even know.
Her heart was stirred at a chapel one day that focused on the Special Olympics. Her interest piqued, she asked around about how to get involved and soon was working with a Special Olympics basketball team. The friendships she has forged through the Special Olympics has shown her that she wants to “open minds to see others’ needs.” And each day, she has that opportunity at the elementary school where she is finishing her last semester of student teaching.
Noonan plans to go into teaching after graduation, but she also hopes to work in missions and share the experiences that have shaped her. Although she has already pushed herself to limits she hadn’t even known existed and has shared the blessings of God with friends and strangers, her race is just beginning.
