DES MOINES - Brooke Foreman suffers from Vocal Cord Dysfunction, an ailment that makes it difficult for her to breathe when it's extremely hot or cold.

Imagine her trying to run the 400 meter hurdles at the Class 4A state meet Friday when it was a steamy 87 degrees in the middle of the afternoon.

Now imagine her trying to run the 400 hurdles in those conditions, hoping to defend her state title in the event, just 40 minutes after she ran a grueling 200 leg on the distance medley for Cedar Rapids Washington.

Foreman courageously finished fifth in the 400 hurdles and needed medical assistance as she battled to catch her breath after the race. She thought about quitting halfway through the event, but willed herself and her body to keep going.

"It was really hard," she said, still gasping for air. "It was like, 'I can't give up, this is my favorite race. I can't stop.'"

Vocal Cord Dysfunction (VCD) is hardest to battle in extreme weather, because the vocal cords contract and reduce the flow of oxygen to the lungs. Foreman fought the problem last year as well, and it struck at the worst time Friday.

"It hurts to know I couldn't run the best race of my life in the 400 hurdles, but I can't help what it does," she said. "When I try to breathe real hard, it hurts."

Foreman was clocked in 1:02.62 last year when she won the 400 hurdles as a junior. By contrast, her time Friday was 1:06.02, exactly 3.4 seconds slower than a year ago. Anne Leners of Pleasant Valley won the race Friday in 1:02.13.

Foreman underwent a battery of tests when the problem struck last year. "I had a camera shoved down my nose. And I had to go on the (stationary) bike forever," she related.

Foreman could have scratched from the distance medley and let a teammate take her place, but that's not her nature. She wanted to run, knowing what might happen.

"It was for my team. I had to do it," she said. "This is a big race."

Foreman broke down in tears after she finished second in the 400 hurdles behind Leners at the Drake Relays last month, but she appeared to take Friday's setback in stride, knowing she did the best she could under the conditions.

"I was not ready for this heat," she said. "I've been drinking water all week, but you can't help what the vocal cords do."

Foreman returned to the track for a third time Friday and ran in the preliminaries of the 100 meter hurdles, less than two hours after her ordeal in the 400 hurdles. She qualified in eighth place in the 100 hurdles and plans to run in the finals on Saturday.