MEDIA CONTEST: Army sergeant gives her all to be the Best Published Dec. 28, 2006 Print Journalist of the Year Entry 3D ACC MEDIA CONTEST -- Everyone that runs, runs for a reason. Some run because it's a part of being in the military. Some run because they enjoy the health and fitness benefits of running. And then there are some runners like Army Sgt. Michelle Elliott, who wish they could run every second of every day. The Apache crew chief and aviation life support equipment technician is a member of the Missouri National Guard 1-135th Attack Battalion here, and admits to being a "runaholic." "For me running is like a drug - I love those endorphins. I live to be in the zone," Sergeant Elliott said. "You can say I am obsessed with running." She runs 10 to 25 miles a day and has competed in many 5K, 10K and 20K events as well as nine marathons, and four ultra marathons, each ranging in distance from 31 to 50 miles. She has also competed in adventure racing which can last up to 36 hours non-stop. Her co-workers are also well aware of her passion for running. "Running is her life," said Army Staff Sgt. Ken Johnson, 1-135th AB. "She runs twice a day seven days a week." The most recent running event she competed in allowed her to fulfill one of her dreams. Called the All Guard Marathon qualifier, this race gave Sergeant Elliott the chance to try out for the All Guard Running Team. This team, consisting of 40 men and 15 women from the Army National Guard and Air National Guard, travels throughout the country competing once or twice a month. Being a seasoned runner with competition experience since 2000, Sergeant Elliott was given the opportunity to join the Army Running Team. But in order for her to be on that team, she would have had to leave the guard and join the active-duty Army. She didn't want to leave the guard. "I love what I do in the guard. I love being in aviation. I love working on aircraft and I love working on life support equipment. I can't imagine myself doing anything else," Sergeant Elliott said. After a friend informed her about an All Guard Running Team, she made some phone calls and soon discovered this team was the best of both worlds. She would be able to stay in the guard and do the job she loves and run competitively around the country. After applying for the All Guard Running Team she had less than a month to prepare for the qualifier marathon in Lincoln, Neb., May 7. "I didn't realize how big of an event this was until I got there," she said. There were around 4,200 people from Hawaii, Alaska, Delaware, Puerto Rico and from the Army and Air Force. And of those runners, about 2,000 were competing for a slot on the All Guard Running Team. Before the race, Sergeant Elliott said she was unsure how she was going to perform. She hadn't really trained for this marathon because she was training for air assault school which teaches Army members how to quickly rappel out of a hovering helicopter in a combat zone. While training for this school, she was mostly lifting weights and not focusing on her running as much as she should have, she said. At the start of the qualifying marathon, Sergeant Elliott's mind was racing. "What am I doing here? I haven't ran enough for this," she thought. It was almost six months since her last marathon and her doubts were growing larger along with the butterflies in her stomach. "I was really nervous, but I place a lot of pressure on myself and I hate to fail. My thought process has always been that second place is the first loser," she said. Failure has never been a word in her vocabulary. Growing up in Hastings, Neb., Sergeant Elliott started playing tennis at age 5. While playing tennis growing up, those around her put a lot of pressure on her to excel, which gave her a fear of failure and a compulsive desire to always win. While attending Hastings Senior High School, she won the Nebraska State Tennis Championship at age 17 and went on to compete in the nationals. Her will to succeed and inability to quit earned her a full tennis scholarship to the University of Nebraska, where she earned her degree in computer science and information systems. With a lifetime of competition and an insatiable appetite for victory, nothing was going to stand in her way. She was going to make the All Guard Running Team. "I didn't care about the lack of training; I just wanted to make the team. That's all I cared about - that was my goal," Sergeant Elliott said Sergeant Johnson knows what Sergeant Elliott is like when she has a goal. "She is a perfectionist, everything has to be done right," Sergeant Johnson said. He added that she gives nothing but the best and expects the same from others. As the qualifying race began, Sergeant Elliott was focusing on keeping her pace and not getting caught up in the mad dash. "I think the problem that a lot of people have when they run is they go out too fast," she said. "At the start of the race, your adrenaline is pumping so fast that you want to keep up with the front of the pack. But I know my pace, and if I keep it consistent, I'm good." During the race, Sergeant Elliott didn't know how she was doing until she hit the 13-mile marker. One of the officials told her she was the first All Guard Female runner to reach the halfway point. This turned out to be a confidence boost that she would need later. "I hit the wall at mile 18," Sergeant Elliott said. She was telling herself she didn't want to do this anymore, she was tired, her legs were kind of sore and she just wanted to stop running. "I think running is 50 percent physical and 50 percent mental. This is where my mental toughness kicked in," Sergeant Elliott said. "Your body might be saying your legs hurt and you're tired. But if you can mentally say it's not that bad and if you get through that, then you feel good after about two or three more miles." Mental toughness is not the only thing that kept her going. The fact that she was the leading female all guard participant was a motivator, and the cheers from the tens of thousands of observers lining the streets kept her legs moving. But there is something even deeper that gives Sergeant Elliott strength every time she runs. In August of 1996, Sergeant Elliott went through two hardships that changed her life. The first tragedy happened to her son. When he was one month old, he died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Sergeant Elliott and her husband were crushed by their loss. Unfortunately, the pressure became too great for her husband who took his own life three months later. The loss of her son and husband were very difficult for her. However, she was able to pick herself up and move forward. Running became a pressure release for her, and quickly became her therapy. Now when she runs, it clears her head and brings her to a place of reflection. "I think about them on every run I do," Sergeant Elliott said, "Running always brings me back to them, and that enables me to keep pushing myself." With motivation like that, nothing was going to stop her. Every mile marker she passed during the qualifying race, Sergeant Elliott was getting closer and closer to her goal. Then, the sight every runner loves to see - the finish line - and it was getting closer. As she approached the finish line, Sergeant Elliott was unclear what her current standing was. With a sea of more than 4,000 runners on crowded streets, it was easy to lose track. With a final time of 3 hours and 21 minutes, Sergeant Elliott ended her 26.2-mile trek and put her ninth marathon under her belt. As she crossed the finish line, she was glad it was over, but another part of her felt like she could just keep going she said. She didn't have to wait long to find out how she did. A National Guard coordinator came over and told her she was the first all guard female to cross the finish. She did it, she made the team. "I was really happy to make the team, and to be the first all guard female to finish, I was shocked," Sergeant Elliott said. "I wasn't sure how I finished overall until the award ceremony. This was a really competitive event and I was thinking there was no way I placed in the top 10," Sergeant Elliott said. And then during the ceremony, the officials called her name for ninth place overall female. "Everyone from the Army and the Air Force was cheering me on," she said. Her success was no surprise to Army Lt. Col. Thomas Burson, 1-135th AB commander. "Her drive and determination to do a good job sets her apart from others. If she doesn't give you 100 percent, she feels guilty," Colonel Burson said. "She is one of the hardest working Soldiers I have ever been around." It's only been a little over a month since she made the team, and Sergeant Elliott is still in awestruck. "Who would have thought I would get paid to run for the guard?" she said. "It seems almost surreal." With only 16 days until her next marathon, Sergeant Elliott said she looks forward to her first event as an All Guard Running Team member. Unlike her last marathon, she said she has really focused on her training by increasing her mileage and doing some speed work conditioning. She says she is aiming for a 3 hour and 15 minute finish time. Looking ahead she will also participate in the Air Force marathon in September. "I'm hoping to hit the 3 hour mark for the Air Force Marathon," Sergeant Elliott said. Sergeant Johnson said Sergeant Elliott's success in running and can-do attitude is also part of her life as a Soldier. "She is enthusiastic about everything she does," he said. He added that she comes to work every day, ready to get the job done. "She is admired by everyone here," Sergeant Johnson said. With another win and another goal achieved, Sergeant Elliott looks toward the future. She prefers long distance runs like ultra-marathons and wants to participate in a 100-mile race. Her ultimate goal is to break the 2 hour and 50 minute mark, just to say she could qualify for the Olympic trials. For now, she will continue to get up at 5:30 a.m. and run every morning, and every night. Whether working on an Apache or running a marathon, she will continue to raise the bar, give her all and strive to be the best.