LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. - On a cool, late-summer day in Dayton, Ohio, a melting pot of service members and civilians from across the globe tightened their laces and stretched their muscles in preparation for the Air Force Marathon, Sept. 15.

Throughout the event, spectators and supporters watched the runners, and looked for friends or family members among the masses. Among those masses, 2nd Lt. Melissa Poole, 633rd Medical Group clinical nurse, stood out.

“Honestly, I was shocked that I won [in my category],” said Poole. “I wasn’t even near the awards area because I had no idea I was that high up.”

Since Poole won in the “Overall Military Female” category of the marathon, one might expect that “loving to run” wouldn’t be enough motivation for such a title.

But for Poole, that love to run stems from many sources, giving her the strength to make it to the finish line first in her category.

As far as aesthetics go, Poole enjoyed the crowd and the support.

“There was a great crowd at the race,” said Poole. “For a place that isn’t as busy as Boston, for instance, there was a lot of support. You could see people in lawn chairs cheering us on, adding in that small-town appeal.”

In addition to that in-the-moment motivation, running itself has become a part of Poole.

Since the age of 10, Poole has been a competitive long distance runner. She ran throughout high school and college, joking that she only went to college to run.

Originally, Poole enlisted in the Air Force for two years as a medical technician prior to pursuing college again for a nursing degree. It was at this time that Poole faced her greatest challenges.

“Between working 20 hours a week, participating in ROTC and going to school for a medical degree, life got pretty stressful,” said Poole. “Running was one of the greatest stress relievers I had.”

Poole said her ROTC family helped her stay afloat. They trusted in her abilities as a soon-to-be officer, as a nurse and as an athlete. Without them, she would not have the determination, and trust, in herself to be the person she is today.

“When I was on the last stretch of the run, there was a hill and my legs told me ‘we can’t do this,'” said Poole. “But when you think back to all those people who said you could, you push through it.”

With her determination in hand, as well as a college degree and a commission, Poole was off to Cincinnati, Ohio, to begin her Air Force career.

While in Cincinnati, Poole provided medical support for the 2011 Air Force Marathon. Afterwards, she decided she wanted to run the event the following year.

From her experience as a volunteer in the 2011 marathon, she saw how well the marathon was organized and, as a runner, saw that the course and the weather were near perfect.

“Participating as a runner really validated what I had already thought about the course,” said Poole. “It was a great marathon.”

Poole plans to run the Air Force Half-Marathon next year, as she will be participating in the Boston Marathon in 2014 and must train. She also hopes to win first for the overall female category in the half-marathon.

At the end of the day, however, Poole said running is a constant measure of her strength as a person, and the Air Force has helped her keep those numbers up.

“Something about the Air Force culture has given me the strength when I didn’t have it,” said Poole. "When I thought I would be at the end of my rope, my Air Force family would always support me and see me through to my goals.”