Hale completes half marathon in memory of his wife

Jim Noelker

Brian Hale, right, kisses the medallion he earned by finishing the Air Force half marathon Saturday morning, Sept. 19, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Hale ran the race in place of his wife, Michelle Hale, who was killed while training during a morning run on Aug. 24. Hale hung the medallion around his grandson Logan while his daughter, Jessica Dove, looked on. Staff photos by Jim Noelker

Jim Noelker Brian Hale, right, kisses the medallion he earned by finishing the Air Force half marathon Saturday morning, Sept. 19, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Hale ran the race in place of his wife, Michelle Hale, who was killed while training during a morning run on Aug. 24. Hale hung the medallion around his grandson Logan while his daughter, Jessica Dove, looked on. Staff photos by Jim Noelker

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By Tom Archdeacon, Staff Writer Updated 12:49 PM Sunday, September 20, 2009

WRIGHT PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE — All along it was supposed to be a family affair — but not like this.

Over the summer, they had made their plans for the U.S. Air Force Marathon, which was run Saturday, Sept. 19, at WPAFB:

CMSgt. Brian Hale would run the full 26.2 miles. His wife Michelle would do the half-marathon and their 16-year-old daughter Breanna, a cheerleader and honors student at Beavercreek High School — would provide the sidelines support.

Instead, Saturday, there was Brian running the half-marathon with No. 4193 — his wife’s race bib — on his chest and tears filling his eyes.

Breanna — huddled with her grandpa, step sister and 5-month-old nephew at the last turn on the course — held up a poster that, along with photos of her parents and the message “Run Daddy Run ... I Love You,” had a heart-breaking reminder.

She had drawn a tombstone in which she written: “Mommy ... August 24, 2009.”

Training for the marathon, Michelle — a 44-year-old Air Force vet and a popular secretary with the Air Force Materiel Command at WPAFB — was hit and killed by an SUV as she crossed Dayton-Xenia Road during an early morning run, Aug. 24.

Her death sent shock waves through the base and the local running community and Saturday her story — and her husband’s courageous display of love and perseverance — became a focal point of the marathon.

It had the crowd cheering, Air Force brass and family members in tears and John Palmer, quietly asking an unanswerable question as he watched his drained son-in-law push himself to the finish wearing Michelle’s number:

“When you’re happy and yet so sad, how do you mix those two together?”

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