On August 7, Brandon Hudgins, 28, of Boone, North Carolina, became the 448th American to break 4:00 in the mile, and most likely the first to do so after overcoming granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), a rare autoimmune disease that affects the blood vessels.

Hudgins’ 3:59.67 fifth-place finish in the Sir Walter Miler in Raleigh marked the culmination of a journey that has included three bouts with the disease, which is treated with chemotherapy and high doses of corticosteroids, in eight years.

Hudgins, who says his sub-4:00 mile is a “dream come true, but something I always knew I could do,” struggled to hold back tears in his postrace interview, as he talked about what it meant to accomplish a lifelong goal in front of family and friends after overcoming what seemed like insurmountable obstacles at times.

“My goal is to inspire other people to persevere, whatever their walk in life is, to reach their goals, because it gets dark sometimes,” Hudgins told Runner’s World Newswire. “I can now say that it’s completely worth it. That feeling I had on Friday night when I broke 4:00 was definitely worth it.”

After running 4:16 for 1600 meters to win a South Carolina state title as a senior, and running 4:07 for the mile as a sophomore at Winthrop University, Hudgins figured it was only a matter of time before he broke 4:00. But during his junior cross country season at Winthrop, he began to experience symptoms—starting as a cold that wouldn’t go away—that would eventually lead to his diagnosis.

Because GPA, formerly known as Wegener’s granulomatosis, is such a rare condition, it can be difficult to diagnose initially. In his first encounter with the disease, Hudgins suffered 90 percent hearing loss in one ear and 80 percent in the other. His sinuses swelled and were covered in sores, he developed granulomas in his lungs and kidneys, and he came close to losing kidney function. After six months of chemotherapy most of his symptoms were reversed, but the disease and treatment had worn down his body.

GET MORE NEWSWIRE: Sign up for the RW Daily newsletter

By the time Hudgins was well enough to think about training and racing again, he had graduated from Winthrop, but he was able to use his remaining eligibility as a graduate student at Appalachian State University. He graduated from Appalachian State in 2011 with personal bests of 3:45 for 1500 meters (roughly 4:03 in the mile) and 1:50 for 800 meters, faster than he had run prior to developing GPA.

“After I had come back and run really well, my doctor told me, ‘I didn’t tell you it wasn’t possible, but I pretty much didn’t think it was possible. When you asked if you could run again and I said yes, I did not think that you would be able to get back to competing at the level you were at, much less get faster,’” Hudgins said.

Through a connection, Hudgins was able to earn a gear-only contract from Saucony for almost two years upon graduating from Appalachian State. However, Hudgins had flare-ups in 2012 and 2013—GPA has a high relapse rate—leading to more chemotherapy and rounds of corticosteroids, and little running. During that time, Hudgins said, he was dropped for lack of performance. He has remained unsponsored since.

Because GPA is unpredictable and it’s unclear what causes it to flare up, Hudgins constantly monitors his body and watches for symptoms, in the hope of catching them early. The unpredictability and uncertainty has caused him to develop depression and anxiety.

In February, Hudgins had hernia surgery, but it was almost a relief to experience a more straightforward and common setback. Hudgins is so skilled in the art of the comeback now that he didn’t let the lost training rattle him.

Because Hudgins is unsponsored, he works a full-time job, in guest services at a resort, from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. four or five days a week. On the side, he works as a personal trainer to fund the cost of his travel to races.

Hudgins does his primary run around 11 a.m., and a second run when he gets off work, around 11:30 p.m. Add in nine hours of work per day, travel time, weightlifting, and sleep, and there isn’t a lot of time left over.

Partially because of his unconventional work schedule, he does the majority of his 75-90 miles per week alone. He’s coached remotely by Temple University coach James Snyder, who was one of Hudgins’ coaches when he was at Appalachian State.

Hudgins meets runners from ZAP Fitness, a nearby post-collegiate training group, for long runs about twice a month. The idea of joining a post-collegiate training group has crossed Hudgins’ mind, but he hasn’t actively pursued the idea of doing so because he’s happy with the coaching he’s receiving now.

Hudgins is hopeful that his sub-4:00 mile will attract a sponsor. For now, he races with the Lauren Currie Twilight Foundation logo on his singlet, in an attempt to spread awareness about his disease and the organization founded in memory of a 15-year-old girl who died of GPA.

Hudgins hopes to do more racing this season, including the Michigan Mile, a road mile, this Friday in Flint, Michigan, but finding the right racing opportunities can be tough. In addition to getting the time off from work, he needs to make sure that he can afford the travel costs, and that a good racing situation awaits him wherever he goes. He had hoped to participate in the Hoka One One Long Island Mile in September, but upon learning he wouldn’t be able to get into the fast section, he had to re-evaluate his plans.

Luckily for Hudgins, he’s learned to deal with adversity over the past eight years. Now, while he’s enjoying some success, he’s hoping to use his story to inspire others.

“Everybody’s got their own goals in life and they’re not all running-related. Whether it’s chasing a dream to be an artist or be a doctor, a lot of people are going to run into roadblocks in life, or run into tough times,” Hudgins said. “Sometimes you’re going to want to give up, but you just gotta keep putting one foot in front of the other and see where you end up.”

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io