Hometown: Orange City, Iowa
Class: Senior
Event: Middle Distance

Career Highlights:
• 2008 NCAA Indoor National Champion in the 800 meters
• 7-time All-American
• Holds the school record in the 800m, 1,000m, 4X400m relay, sprint medley relay and distance medley relay.

Chosen Attribute: Patience

Dictionary definition: "Quiet, steady perseverance; diligence."

My definition: "Waiting and maintaining self-control, faith and trust to see if it is something in God's will."

Favorite Scripture that deals with patience: Galatians 6:9 (NIV) – "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Why I chose this passage: "I believe that hard work really does pay off. It takes perseverance to really achieve what you set your heart on, and it takes faith in the Lord and a lot of prayer. This Scripture gives me hope when things are not going the way I would like, and it lets me know that I may still be on the right path even though it may not feel like it."

"I may still be on the right path even though it may not feel like it."
 
How I learned to be patient in life: "Growing up, my family had its struggles with money, and my older brother didn't create the best shadow for me to follow in. I had to do everything possible to gain the trust and faith of the community, my friends, my friends' parents and my teachers. I wanted to take the bad name given to my family and change it into something better.

"I always prayed that the Lord would help me make a better name for me and my family, and slowly this began to happen. I had to have patience that, if it was in His will for me to show the talents He'd given me and make a better name for my family in the process, then it would happen.

"Eventually, having that patience paid off. In high school, I won state and was recruited to the University of Northern Iowa. Through running, people realized that I wasn’t a bad kid, and that my family wasn't so bad either."

How I've learned to be patient in sports: "Patience applies to my sport through my having faith in the Lord at all times and knowing that He will guide me. Every day I pray that I'll be able to represent Him well with the way I run, and I'm very thankful for receiving the gift of running.

"I came from a small town and had to work hard to get where I am. I had to have patience and perseverance in order to go somewhere I could really excel. At first, moving away to college was scary, but I knew it was what I was supposed to do in order to get better as an athlete.

"Now, as a senior, I have to stay patient in my workouts and put my body through tough conditions physically and mentally, even if I don't see immediate results. Through my training, I hope to peak at the right time. Even though I want to run fast all the time, I have patience and faith that I will run fast near the end of the season."

FCA Involvement:
Tyler Mulder first encountered FCA when he attended a summer FCA Camp for cross-country runners in middle school. Through the ministry of FCA, Mulder has realized the importance of maintaining open lines of communication with other believers.

"It is really great when a group of Christian athletes can get together and enjoy the sport and a lesson from God," Mulder said. "It keeps me humble and keeps my faith going."  STV