Former Olympic swimmer has new race to find diabetes cure

Former Olympic swimmer has new race to find diabetes cure
December 14, 2008
By LINDA ROBERTSON
Miami Herald Other Sports

Gary Hall Jr. used to identify himself as a swimmer.

Now he identifies himself as a diabetic.

Hall, the three-time Olympian and winner of 10 Olympic medals, has decided to hang up his goggles at age 34. He was one of the world's fastest, most theatrical and most outspoken athletes. He's ready to channel that energy from the water to the cause of curing diabetes.

''I've known for a while that my commitment to diabetes is more appreciated and needed,'' he said. ``I also expect it to be more rewarding.''

The word ''hero'' gets used so indiscriminately in sports, it's as worthless as a counterfeit $100 bill. In Hall we have the genuine article.

He was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1999. Not only did he disprove doctors' predictions that he would never swim competitively again by winning six medals -- half of those gold -- at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, but he made himself an example to people with diabetes.

He stood on the blocks -- all 6 feet, 6 inches of him, with his golden surfer's looks and loopy grin -- and offered himself as an advertisement for the successful management of diabetes. Few knew how difficult it was -- the pricking and poking, how Hall had to meticulously monitor his blood glucose levels, adjust his workouts, stick to his diet, time his insulin shots, fend off fatigue and frustration. It was a delicate balance between chlorine and sugar. One miscalculation, and he wouldn't just lose a race but wind up in the hospital.

Yet Hall never missed a chance to advocate, educate and raise funds. His most satisfying moment at the Sydney Games came when a mother told him he had inspired her diabetic son to play soccer and how the boy had been carried on the shoulders of teammates after he scored a goal. Hall, once perceived as a Deadhead slacker, was transformed by the challenge diabetes gave him.

Hall is still fast. He missed making the 2008 Olympic team in the 50-meter freestyle by a fraction of a second, swimming a time (21.91) that would have won any previous Olympic gold. But he won't make a Dara Torres-like comeback. He feels a stronger tug outside the pool.

''It's not that I'm burned out, but swimming isn't getting any easier and I accomplished what I had hoped for,'' said Hall, who lives in Miami Beach with his wife and two children. ``My message about diabetes is more urgent.''

Hall has put away the red, white and blue boxing trunks and robe he wore before a big race. His unorthodox workouts, which included spearfishing, are over. He's turned over The Race Club -- his international team in Islamorada -- to his father, Gary Hall Sr., also a three-time Olympian. He and wife Elizabeth sold their art gallery in Scottsdale, Ariz. Hall is focusing on his foundation and working with medical companies. He plans a fundraising swim clinic tour.

He is pursuing victory over a disease that affects 253 million people worldwide -- a number projected to jump to 380 million in 20 years. In the United States, 24 million people have diabetes -- almost 8 percent of the population. The annual cost to our healthcare system is $213 billion.

''Diabetes is a killer,'' Hall said. ``It's also the leading cause of blindness. It causes renal failure, circulatory problems, amputations, seizures, impotence.''

Hall tiptoes between two messages: Look at his strong body and know that you can lead a good life despite diabetes. And you can die from it.

'It's easy to see a photo of me with gold medals around my neck and say, `No problem,' '' he said. ``But you don't see me when my wife finds me unconscious in a pool of sweat.

``Diabetes is killing me. The minute I was diagnosed, my life expectancy dropped 10 years.''

Hall leaves swimming when the sport is at its peak. Michael Phelps' great haul of eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics stimulated interest and a new wave of participants. Can it be sustained, or will swimming sink below the surface until 2012?

''I see Phelps in the same position as Mark Spitz in 1972,'' Hall said. ``It will come down to Phelps and his management team to determine how much of a long-lasting impact his performance will have.''

Hall will swim for fitness, which is critical for diabetics. As a kid, he spent summers in Cat Key, Bahamas.

Like Lance Armstrong in his fight against cancer, Hall wants to leave a more lasting mark than personal achievement. Don't underestimate him.

He knows the clock is ticking.

He knows how to beat it.