Voje, 44, is now celebrating his second chance at life.

As a former high school gymnast, Voje had no interest in running until he was a boot camp drill instructor stationed in Florida for the U.S. Navy eight years out of high school.

He was introduced to running by a neighbor.

"He was a K-9 police officer that worked nights ... our first run was at 4 a.m.," Voje said. "He had a Walkman and I was following him into the darkness. About 15 minutes into the run, I was completely exhausted."

If it weren't for a series of inauspicious, yet fortunate events, Voje, a corporate recruiter for Lucas Group, would not be telling his story today. After running the Maui Marathon in September, Voje ran in the Nike Town 30K in October as preparation for the Honolulu Marathon.

"In the following few days I developed an increasing shortness of breath," Voje said.

Unaware of his impending problem, Voje went out for a run, with his 7-year-old son Jonah riding his bicycle alongside. A flat tire prompted them to stop, and as Voje knelt down to inspect his son's flat tire, he noticed he was sweating profusely and breathing heavily. Voje didn't worry much about his symptoms, and went home to rest.

"(Later) that night I had severe chest pains and went to the emergency room at Tripler Army Medical Center," Voje said.

The emergency room doctor informed Voje the bad new was that he had numerous blood clots in his lungs.

"When I asked what the good news was, he stated that if I had not come in it might have killed me."

Voje didn't require surgery, but he was hospitalized for five days as tests were conducted.

The cause of his condition is unknown. Voje researched his condition and discovered those most at risk were people with sedentary lifestyles, being overweight, and those who travel long hours by car or airliner, none of which describes Voje.

"Heredity can play a role, as well (as) a defect in the blood composition ... some cancers can also be the cause," he said.

Voje had to miss this past Ho-nolulu Marathon, but still managed to be involved as a race day volunteer.

As Voje prepared for the Great Aloha Run, he adjusted his approach to training. He learned to stay in tune with his body's signals.

"I am very restricted in my breathing and heart rate. I can feel a pace that I can not push past," Voje said.

Voje now takes daily anti-coagulation medication intended to reduce the chance of blood clots. The drawback to his medication is that he could bleed significantly from an injury. He also wears a medic-alert bracelet.

"I have to avoid activity that can result in a head injury ... biking, running trails and surfing are out," he said.

Voje credits his wife, Francine, and children Angelica, 10, and Jonah for their uplifting support. He also credits Dr. Eleanor R. Hastings at Tripler Army Medical Center with keeping tabs on his condition, as there's still a chance of reoccurrence.

Voje is thankful for his second chance at running and living a healthy life.

"I realized how fortunate I was to be able to run at all," he said. "Every run is a good run, no matter how fast or how slow; and every day with my family is a blessing from God."