“You don’t really say no to Christian,” University of Georgia senior Ursula Cole said about her boyfriend, Christian Spence. “If he puts his mind to something, he’s going to do it.”
Spence ran the Longest Night 50K ultramarathon in Greenville, South Carolina, this past December to honor his father, Mark Spence, and to fundraise $25,000 in support of the Parkinson’s Foundation. Spence described the moment his father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019 as bittersweet.
Over the course of about 31 miles, Spence felt many things — supported, flat out “awesome,” mentally and physically taxed and incredibly emotional as he was greeted by his father at the finish line.
“I don’t think I’m special by any means,” Spence said. “I also know that I’m not like a world class athlete. I do my best, but I had a lot of motivation to get through.”
The culmination of Superman Spence
The race consisted of a 1.5 mile loop, and there were multiple races going on simultaneously, according to Spence. His race began at 11:25 p.m. Runners had 25 minutes to complete each lap, and if they finished the loop early, they would have to wait the entirety of the time before starting the next one.
Spence said the first mile and a half was great and “felt awesome.” But, miles 10 through 20 were the most mentally and physically taxing because the temperature started to drop. Halfway through the race, it also started raining, which caused the grassy hills to turn into mudslides.
“It got super cold and the rain started seeping underneath my rain jacket — I was drenched,” Spence said. “You have to actively, the entire time, be looking where your legs are stepping and just making sure that you’re not slipping.”
University of Georgia student Christian Spence poses for a portrait in Athens, Georgia on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. (Photo/Laney Martin; @LaneyMartinPhotography)
Typically, Spence said had around seven to 10 minutes to sit before the next lap started. While it was nice to have a break, the heat that he’d built up from running left so he was very cold by the end of the cooldown. But, he says that his supporters, who were confined to a tent, were definitely colder.
Spence’s supporters included his girlfriend Ursula Cole, his friend Kelton Williamson — who helped Spence set up the fundraiser — and Williamson’s girlfriend. Spence said they didn’t get to move around much for the duration of the race because of the weather conditions. During miles 20 through 30, he was so tired and having his supporters rallying him on was pivotal.
“That meant the world to me that you know, they were willing to stay out the entire night and do that for me,” Spence said.
Spence said he made Cole his Instagram manager throughout the duration of the race to keep people updated in case they were following along. He wanted people to know that he followed through on his promise, especially those who donated.
Around 4 a.m., Spence said he was looking forward to a change of pace after doing the course over and over again. His crew got a text from his parents about an hour later saying that they were coming back to the course with coffee and a warm breakfast, which signaled to Spence that he was close to the end.
He said his last lap was emotional — knowing that something he had worked on for the past six to seven months, spent hundreds of hours on and poured so much effort into was coming to an end. He said that seeing his family and friends as he finished his final lap made the experience worth it.
“I really tried to savor every step of that last lap,” Spence said. “That was what made that last stretch the easiest part of the race … I was physically so tired but mentally, I couldn’t have been more present.”
After he crossed the finish line, Spence said he hugged his father, and they cried into each other’s shoulders.
“That’ll probably be one of the most emotional moments in my life,” he said. “It’s such a powerful moment of community — coming together to accomplish something was incredible.”
When someone sees their goal to the end, it pays off, according to Spence. He said his father was really appreciative of his efforts and the community that rallied behind him. Spence was proud to show his father that people “really care about him.”
University of Georgia student Christian Spence poses for a portrait in Athens, Georgia on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. (Photo/Laney Martin; @LaneyMartinPhotography)
The next steps
Nicole Lopez, the signature events manager at the Parkinson’s Foundation, said Christian reached out to the Foundation around late May or June of 2023. She said she was excited to get college aged individuals involved in the process because Parkinson’s disease is generally associated with seniors or older adults.
“We love seeing people in the community that are already involved and them wanting to fundraise on top of that, so we jumped at the opportunity,” Lopez said. “It’s just really cool to see someone that’s his age — that’s just at the beginning of his life — really being so dedicated to such a huge cause because it affects people of all ages.”
Lopez added that people overlook how children are affected as they navigate their own lives with a parent who has this disease.
Spence has now been training over the past month or two as a Parkinson’s Foundation ambassador, hoping to get involved at different events the foundation hosts and spread their message. He said he’s aspiring to be a physician and wants to help make a difference in any capacity and stay involved at the Foundation.
At the date of publication, Spence has raised $23,180 — 93% of his goal — for the “Going the Distance for PD” campaign. Anyone interested in donating to Christian’s fundraiser can do so through July 31 at Parkinson.org/GoingtheDistance.
Lopez added those who want to get involved with the Parkinson’s Foundation should look into their website or at their volunteer programs. She said they have events that range from ultramarathons, golf tournaments, pickleball games and cake sales.
Cole said Spence inspires her to be better every single day — she says he’s very charismatic, great with people, not afraid to put himself out there and trustworthy, which is why people want to support him.
“It was just amazing to watch him do this and see something that he was so passionate about,” Cole said.
University of Georgia students Christian Spence and Ursula Cole pose for a portrait in Athens, Georgia on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. (Photo/Laney Martin; @LaneyMartinPhotography)
To Spence, making a difference starts with taking the first step and seeing where it goes. He believes people think opportunities are a lot farther away from them than they really are.
“Eventually you’re going to find some cool way to get involved or someone’s gonna hear your story and they’re gonna connect with it,” Spence said. “It really just comes down to being bold enough, and having the confidence and the courage in yourself to take that first step.”
