Verified answer

its a quote from The Place of Suffering by John Ferguson

http://books.google.com.au/books?id=4-ZmMYs23zEC&p...

and is often sorted under these labels

Suffering -- Religious aspects -- Christianity.

Suffering

i havent read the book, but i would say literally if she is running in an actual race.

but figuratively if she is just living, surviving, pushing on etc

It's figurative.

If it's literal, that means that you're walking because your children or grandchildren can't walk. Not in the future, but right now.

Figurative, it means that you are putting you're putting others before yourself.