Travis Team member overcomes life-threatening disorder; triumphs at marathon Published Oct. 13, 2010 By Senior Airman Amelia Leonard 349th Public Affairs TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Thousands of runners gathered to compete in the 14th annual Air Force Marathon at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio on Sept. 18. More than 40 Airmen from Travis participated in the event. Master Sgt. Thomas Hall, 60th Diagnostic and Therapeutics Squadron, was one of the Team Travis runners. Sergeant Hall, however, had to overcome one obstacle the other Airmen did not--- cystic fibrosis. "Cystic fibrosis is a life-threatening disorder that causes severe lung damage and nutritional deficiencies, " according to the Mayo Clinic. "Cystic fibrosis affects the cells that produce mucus, sweat and digestive juices. Normally, these secretions are thin and slippery, but in cystic fibrosis, a defective gene causes the secretions to become thick and sticky. Instead of acting as a lubricant, the secretions plug up tubes, ducts and passageways, especially in the pancreas and lungs." Sergeant Hall was not diagnosed with the disease until 2001, and at that point the Air Force wanted to medically discharge him. Sergeant Hall, however, felt that he was still fit to fight and would prove them wrong, he said. "God had a plan," he said. That plan was running. Although it was difficult, he began to learn to work with his body along the way. He learned over time that he needs to take salt gels periodically while running, and maintain proper hydration because if he doesn't, the mucus in his lungs thickens, making it hard to breathe. Sergeant Hall got the idea to run in the Air Force Marathon while going to the Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Training course in September 2008. Soon after completing the course, Sergeant Hall sent out a mass e-mail to everyone on the Travis Top 3 distribution list to see if there were other airmen interested in competing. He began physically preparing for the Air Force Marathon in March 2010. Over time he actually reversed roles with his running partner, Senior Airman William Sutherland, 60th MDTS, going from the one who was always running behind, to the one leading the way! Going into the marathon Sergeant Hall had three goals he hoped to achieve. "First I want to finish. Second I want to finish in under three hours. Third, I want to finish in under three and a half hours," he said. Despite his obvious disadvantage, Sergeant Hall pushed through and finished the race. Although he not anticipated it, he had difficulty with his iliotibial bands, a group of fibers stretching from the gluteal muscles down to the tibia bone. He began to feel his IT bands tightening up around mile 18 and had to walk for a few miles. Even though he had to slow down and walk for a few miles, he was able to accomplish one of his goals, finish. As long as a deployment does not interfere with his ability to train and compete in next years' race, he plans on attending and competing to qualify to run in the Boston marathon. For the results on the Air Force Marathon visit http://usafmarathon.com.